To quote (author) Jodi Picoult,” says Sara Wadhwa, “photographs provide proof that once, even if just for a heartbeat, everything was perfect”. And after a look at the 17-year-old’s solo exhibition ‘Cynosure’, which is currently on display in the city, these words echo in your ears.
Talking about her stint with photography, the student of Delhi Public School, RK Puram, says it all began when she was in the third grade. “My school took my class for a trip to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. When I came back, I had more pictures of the Taj and the many visitors, than I did of my friends and myself. This probably marks the beginning of my journey with photography,” she tells Metrolife.
So, with photography becoming the centre of her attention, “her cynosure”, over the past few years, she decided to showcase her best clicks to the public. But the idea for a show struck her when she was in Goa a few weeks ago. “There, UdayREP, a charitable trust dedicated to improving the lives of school children in rural India, took me to a few schools, one of which was for children with special needs. ‘Cynosure’, apart from being my debut exhibition, is about raising funds for a speech therapy room in this school,” she says.
She adds that the word ‘cynosure’ seemed to capture how important raising these funds is for her, she says talking about the title of her debut show. “Moreover,” she says, “it sounds like a fusion of the words ‘cyan’ and ‘azure’, both shades of blue, which is a calming colour and is one of my favourites.”
Comprising about 80 images clicked over a period of four years — from 2012 to the summer of 2016, the exhibition showcases pictures from various destinations in India and abroad. Some of the places include Kashmir, Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan, Banaras, Sarnath, Thailand, Turkey, New York, California, among others.
“As this is my first exhibition, I have explored a variety of subjects. The images displayed include landscapes, portraits and pictures of flora and fauna. The theme, cynosure, ties all these images together. All the images selected for the show are among the best I have clicked. They are all images of subjects that attracted my attention, and most have a story behind them,” she says.
Of these, shares Wadhwa, the series of pictures depicting the dance of a peacock took her the longest to shoot. “This is because I had to wait for the peacock to display its feathers,” she says. The young photographer shares that she likes clicking portraits the most as she gets a glimpse into the life and personality of her subjects. Wherever I travel, the sights, sounds and smells help me understand people and their culture as well as their emotions. The simplest way to convey my mental thoughts and notes is via photography,” she says.
All proceeds from the photo exhibition will go towards the Gujrati Samaj Educational Trust through UdayREP. The exhibition is on display at Convention Centre Foyer at India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, until August 19, from 11 am to 7 pm.