FORGET SELFIES and photobombs, here?s the real face of photography. No matter who?s taking pictures of themselves (well, even grinning macaques are allegedly doing it nowadays), and with whom and where (in space, with celebrities, in front of speeding trains, with corpses?you never know when they will crop up), there will always be a special place for the photographs of yore. We?re talking about photographs that showcased portraiture, landscapes and cityscapes; photographs that acted as visual signposts of an era gone by.
Last week, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) turned out to be that ?special place? for cultural enthusiasts of the national capital when it opened its doors to some never-seen-before and iconic photographic samples emanating from the south Asian region. On display were more than 220 original photographs, featuring a treasure trove of cultural trophies, painstakingly collected and preserved by the New Delhi-based Alkazi Foundation for the Arts. ?This could also be the last time the photographs will be on public display, as it requires a lot of time and effort to put up such a show,? offers Rahaab Allana, curator of the exhibition.
Particularly striking were the rare waxed-paper negatives of the first-ever photographs taken of the Taj Mahal in Agra and Vijayanagara?the now-ruined capital city of the historic Vijayanagara empire in Karnataka. Some of the others worth mentioning were the rare painted photographs from India and Nepal, as also the works of Felice Beato, one of the first war photographers in the region; Raja Deen Dayal, touted to be the first Indian court photographer; and Richard Gordon Matzene, the first foreign photographer, who was apparently allowed to capture the royalties of Nepal.
Just a few hours before the inauguration of the exhibition, the IGNCA came out with yet another gem?an exhibition showcasing 40 rare antique cameras from Guinness World Records holder Dilish Parekh?s collection for the first time in Delhi. The Mumbai-based collector?s kitty includes Leicas, Rolliflexes, Canons, Nikons, Kodaks, Zeiss and Linofs?a result of over 30 years of rummaging through flea markets, approaching old studios, interacting with connoisseurs and even putting up advertisements in newspapers. One of Parekh?s most valuable possessions is a 1934-made Leica 250, a rare antique of which there are less than 1,000 pieces ever produced.
Asked whether he tried his hand at a selfie,61-year-old Parekh replies: ?I?ve heard about it, but I?ve never attempted. I don?t even know how to use a computer.?
The exhibition, Drawn from Light: Early Photography and the Indian Sub-continent, is on at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts till September 30