TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Enticement.Solitary“)
© Tanmoy Nayak, 2011

I particularly liked this set of diptychs by young and talented photographer, Tanmoy Nayak, from Calcutta. More on his flickr stream.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Indian Men“)
© Bharat Sikka, 2002

These environmental portraits are filled with interesting characters – all males of Indian descent, stratifying various classes of society. Set at, what I assume, to be their natural surroundings, we view these moustached men with an eye of curiosity.

What’s his story? He looks rich. Awesome looking facial hair!

These and other thoughts raced across my mind as I looked through the works. Every single person seems to have a story to tell and the photographer has managed to create an air of mystery around them. The series goes beyond what is shown and often, it is the things that are not shown that intrigue me the most.

Bharat graduated from Parson’s and works between Europe and India now. Drop by his website to see his other works.

I thought that this approach was very innovative and exposes different segments of the society to photography. It is a warm step away from the cold gallery walls, where the common folk is given a chance to appreciate photography. It’s also a way that photographers can bring more attention to their works. However, I’m not sure if there were any legal roadblocks in setting up an exhibition like this. Then again, it’s India where everything is possible, e.g. my driver drove against the flow of traffic for a good 5 minutes.

Congrats to the team for its success! Hope to see more of these guerilla exhibitions popping up around the region. Having a solo/group exhibition in a gallery may be good for the CV or ego but having something that reaches across social divides is more fulfilling for the soul (and definitely cheaper to produce).

Perhaps I will try to get a little conversation going on here. Would you consider doing this in your own country? What kind of obstacles do you think you would encounter? What kind of works do you think would be well-received?

TOP FROM BOTTOM, (from “Bangalore: Steady State 2012“)
© Mahesh Shantaram

His project, Bangalore: Steady State 2012, documents the rapid changes the city undergoes as it moves forward to become a sprawling metropolis. The old make way for the new, the past is removed and deleted as new buildings and infrastructure spring up.

He writes:

Following a long hiatus, I returned to Bangalore only to find myself having to resettle in a city that evoked memories, and at the same time, contradicted them. Photography became a way for me to reconcile myself to changes in me and around me. These are diary notes from the conversations I will continue to have with the city I call home until the transformation is complete and it reaches its steady state.

Likewise, things here move faster than most people can managed. In the span of my one-month holiday, two new shopping centers opened and a new one is slated to launch sometime later this year. Our memories of old are often altered by the urban landscape’s unstoppable metamorphosis. Perhaps one day we would all find our peace.

For more, visit his portfolio here.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Land of a Thousand Struggles“)
© Sohrab Hura, 2007-2009

In the end despite all the economic accolades that the new India that is shining in the eyes of the world achievers, in the long run it is the ice below the surface, the forgotten India outside the cities, that will determine the overall economic and social health of this country.

As India’s elections kick off this month, many wonder if the politicians will solve the issues plaguing the country. Sohrab’s evocative black-and-white images remind us that much needs to be done for the country, despite its growing GDP amidst the current global economic turmoil.

Visit Sohrab’s flickr stream to view of his other works.

ABOVE, from (“About Neetika“)
© Dileep Prakash, 2002-2006

ABOVE, from (“Between Me and I“)
© Swapan Parekh

ABOVE, from (“Trash“)
© Vivan Sundaram, 2008

Photoink hopes to provide a platform to present and develop contemporary photography in India. I think that is a worthy cause and its business model is worth taking a look at. Besides being an agency, they also engage in publishing and design work. They also run a gallery concurrently, showcasing their stable and also other photographers. I must say, there’s some pretty awesome stuff in the gallery. Do drop by to take a look!

[all images © Atul Loke]

I Love My India is a visual journey through Indian cities from a rare non-western point of view. A witty and original account of street life, kitsch and popular culture, it combines the eye of the ironic insider with that of the curious traveller. The book moves through the spaces and signs of the city — both imaginative and physical — commenting on the complex and often surreal forms of human arrangements.

© Avinash Veeraraghavan

© Avinash Veeraraghavan

© Avinash Veeraraghavan

© Avinash Veeraraghavan

Using digital cut-and-paste techniques, he ‘collected pictures from all over and reconstructed an imaginary, generic city’, resulting in a campy Indian city. India is often photographed (I think most places are anyway) and one could easily conjure up streets of milling human mass, the smiling street urchin, beggars etc. Taking a more light-hearted approach to how India is portrayed, I think that Veeraraghavan’s approach is refreshing.

More images from the book here. Read an article on him here. Eye Magazine interviewed him back in 2005 [I really need to catch up on my research!].

I Love My India: Stories for a City is available on sale at Amazon.