JOIN USThrough the eyes of budding lensmen
It is surely a moment of pride and nostalgia for the guru when his pupils pay tribute to the mentoring they have received by putting up a show that is happy mix of their own creativity and the teachings and guidance of their teacher.
Such was athe case at the recently held photo exhibition at All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, put up by the first batch of one-year diploma students of Raghu Rai Center For Photography (RRCP).
The exhibition was inaugurated by Padma Shri artist Krishen Khanna in the presence of eminent photographer and mentor at RRCP, Padma Shri Raghu Rai.
“The students have done a commendable job and I am really proud to see their creations in this exhibition,” said Nitin Rai, ace photographer, director and teacher at RRCP.
Speaking about her decision to take up professional photography, one of the students Sanchi Aggarwal, who did a photo-story on abandoned dogs living in Sai Ashram, said to Metrolife, “I always had the love and a soft corner for wildlife, especially dogs. So, that is why I chose this topic through which I wanted to highlight the need to adopt Indian dogs. In India, people only buy foreign breeds as it has become part of their status symbol. Our own desi dogs and strays also have a heart and they need care and love.”
The show captures various themes from eveyday existence, from life and death tales in black and white to abandoned dogs, green room shots of the National School of Drama to the gay-lesbian protests, and many other moments which have been captured by the lens of these young lensmen.
Another photographer Sandy Ford, who did a photo-story on a Hospice in Nepal, said, “Hospice is a place where chronically ill, terminally ill or seriously ill patients come to spend their last few days before dying. People belonging to poor backgrounds come to a hospice, where people assist them to attain their emotional and spiritual needs as well. I wanted to capture these moments because I have also been a nurse when I was living in New Zealand. Although, the concept of a hospice is quite popular outside, but in India it is still in its infant stage. People still don’t know about a hospice,” she said.
Apart from some words of wisdom and appreciation from Rai and Khanna, the exhibition also saw two extraordinary photographers from the center, Ford and Geet Gemini, being awarded for their ‘passion’ in photography with a trophy and certificate.
Dwelling on learning photography and taking it up as a profession Rai said, “Every person has his or her own personality. The one who listens the most and is hungry to learn, shows the maximum progress. But, the ones who have the ‘already know’ attitude lags behind. One should always have an open mind and take what their teachers are giving them. Just absorb everything. In our center we teach ‘unadulterated’ photography in the age of digital photography.”
Student photographers exhibiting their works are Nabarun Mookerjee, Ishan Aggarwal, Akhil Syngal, Ankita Tripathi, Dhruv Panchal, Geet Gemini, Lakshmikant Sharda, Charith Kandala, Sanchi Aggarwal, Sahil Nanda, Bindita Shrimali, Pradeep Kumar, Sandy Ford, Naveen Sekar. The work includes standalone pictures, photo stories and studio portraits.
Visit AIFACS today from 11 am to 7 pm to see the works of these budding photograpers.