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REMAINS OF THE DAY The photographs capture the charisma of Hampi

The ancient ruins of Hampi bask in golden sunlight and radiate peace and tranquillity in a series of photographs taken by Ajendra Kumar. `Quiet flows the Pampa'_ it's the perfect title for this photo exhibition at Apparao Gallery, because it is the stillness and quietude of these pictures that is most striking.

Hampi is a 14thCentury city in Karnataka, and its ruins are scattered over a 26 km area on the banks of the Tungabhadra (then known as the Pampa) river. Kumar has captured several of graceful old buildings that remain standing to this day in what has been declared as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

The photographs of the centuries old stone pillars, carvings and temples are beautifully sunlit, so that they seem to glow against the clear blue of the sky. Kumar has also made wonderful use of perspective_ of multiple arches one within the other which transport you right to that temple entrance or of rows of columns stretching into the distance.

The pictures ought to look stark_they are almost entirely in shades of brown, the crumbling buildings of mud and stone and the boulder strewn vistas alike.

But they're majestic instead, capturing the dignity and charisma of the ancient city that was featured in the Mahabharata. That said, the sudden cool greens and golds of the Lotus Temple are a treat to the eye in the midst of all that brown_this is definitely the standout picture of the exhibition in all aspects.

Photography is a cherished hobby for Kumar, an alumnus of BITS Pilani who is currently the director of global accounts in the Asia-Pacific region for Symantec Corporation. Specifically, various facets and moods of the natural world and historical edifices are his focus, starting from his first exhibition, `Symphony of Silence', in 2004.

`Quiet flows the Pampa' will be on view until December 3. Its opening reception featured a talk on the temples of Hampi by Ramaa Narayanan.

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