A (Photo) Walk to Remember

Photowalk is the new trend in the city for all the amateur photographers although I consider myself as a photo explorer. Why? I try to explore my camera too other than places that are perfect for pretty frames. That is exactly why on 13^th September (which was thankfully not a Friday) I set out with my camera to the Bheris (fishing ponds) of Salt Lake. I believe, Photowalk, is not just about going to a place and capturing few good shots; it is more about knowing one’s city, its culture, and its serene beauty.

Reaching the bheri was an adventure in itself. From sneaking out early from college to listening to mom shouting about safety and finally braving the cloudy and rainy weather itself. With the main aim of shooting the sunset being washed away by rain, we decided to try our luck in shooting whatever was available.

The Bheri was right beside a row of IT Companies and also colleges and institutes. But even then, it was pleasant to see that amidst urbanization such a natural and peaceful place exists even today. The Bheris itself are surrounded by rows of small grasslands and an occasional tree here and there. Narrow roads dividing it make a pathway for people to cross over from the other side. Apart from the fishes that are bred there, the ecosystem also comprises little black ants, lots of crows, wild grasses and little flowers growing unevenly all over the place.

With the place being windy and cloudy due to the rain falling on the ground, it was difficult to focus and get a good shot. Although, luckily, there was a boat of fishermen which became the object of interest for quite some time and prone to many an experiments of mine.

Surprisingly, I made an attempt to shoot macro with a prime lens. This ultimately resulted in neck pain, hand pain and finally happiness when I could get my macro subject in full focus. This being my first attempt at macro requires more practice in the future and guidance to perfect this field.

The huge buildings of the IT offices and institutes which formed the background were also a subject that needed attention. In fact a wide shot would get in all the important elements of the place- the offices, the Bheris and the sky. It would be the perfect example of a place where urbanization, technology and development met nature.

However, the only fault with the place was that the same development was eating into the natural resources of the area. This not only causes environmental degradation but also reduces the natural beauty of the place.

On crossing the IT offices one can stand for hours in front of them and gauge at the huge infrastructures. Hearing noises coming from (what I thought might be) the canteen or the parking lot, one cannot do but wonder what type of work goes on inside, how are the people who worked there, how would the work culture be. Nevertheless, it might be impossible for me to get the answers to these questions as my career comes nowhere close to the IT sector.

Though, the main aim of capturing the sunset was not fulfilled, the trip was fruitful in many other ways. The adventure, the beauty of the open ponds, the macro subject, the dreams about IT offices and above all getting expert advice on shooting, all made the trip immensely successful for me.

The Decadence of Tradition

The City Of Joy has many hidden treasures which are rarely explored in the fever of modernism which has broken over the entire world. These traditional art forms are  famous only in rural Bengal. In fact this is the only method of survival and occupation , these families have been involved in for generations and thus till today their daily bread is earned through such art forms.Though many are found all over Bengal, I would be highlighting only five such decaying folk forms.

5# Chau Dance is a popular folk dance in Orissa , Jharkhand and West Bengal . Mostly seen in Purulia it is performed by the tribal communities of Munda, Bhol, Sahoo to name a few. This folk art has three different components - music provided by the Mukhis, Kalindis etc; masks made by ace artisans of the Sutradhar,Maharanas or the Mohapatra clan and the dancers. Chau dance itself has variations depending on its origin- Purulia chau, Mayurbhanj chau and Seraikella Chau. Interestingly Mayurbhanj chau is the only folk form which does not make use of any masks. The dance itself is a blend of martial arts and traditional dance steps.In 2010 Chau dance was honoured by UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible cultural Heritage of Humanity. Special measures have been taken by the Government of Orissa to look into the preservation of this art form. But sadly in Bengal, it is a dying art.

CHAU MASK

CHAU DANCERS

4#  Bhawaiya is a traditional music form popular in Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling and North Bangladesh. These places came under the state of Kamtapur in older days . Hence, the Kamptapuri language is also used while singing the songs. The biggest performers of this art were those associated with the Rajbari of Kamtapur. However , today, these songs have spread to all communities living in the area. In fact many Bhawaiya songs have been adapted in Bengali cinema. The music in this folk form reflects a typical tone of natural, environmental, ethnic phonetic and topographical influence.

3#  Alkap is one of the primitive ways of mass communication. It was originally used to raise awareness regarding social issues and taboos. But today the original form of Alkap which included men dressing up as women, musicians singing songs and sexual connotations , is becoming extinct. It is replaced by Bengali film songs and women taking part in this form of performing art. The participants are divided to put forward arguments in support and against the social cause to communicate it to the people. However due to lack of interest and finance this art is rarely seen today.

ALKAP IN PROGRESS

2#  Gombhira which originated in the Nawabganj region is a another folk form of increasing social awareness through music and songs. It is distinct as it is performed by two males playing the role of a son and his maternal grandfather . Sometimes this art is also accompanied by masked dancers who enact the verses in the song.

MASKED DANCERS

GETTING READY FOR A PERFORMANCE

1#  Bhatiali are traditional boat songs which fishermen and boatmen sing while they are on their journey in the river. Bhatiali mostly deals with descriptions of Nature from those who are living in close harmony with nature. Influence of this form of music is found on the ghats of Brahmaputra in West Bengal and Bangladesh.

PAINTING OF BHATIALI SINGERS

These forms of art are becoming rare and extinct in contemporary times . Probably the instruments and technologies of modernism is to be blamed for this. With people remaining glued to television and cell phones, they neither have the time nor the interest to spare a thought about traditional art. There are a few heritage fairs in the city where performers from all parts of the State come in to showcase their talents; however, they have less audience and also the number of traditional groups that come in are decreasing year after year.The good news is many theatre groups, NGOs and private organisations are trying to revive these traditional art forms. It is a venture which I personally support and encourage everyone to support for tradition is a guide for a better future.

A Calcutta That Was. .

                                     “Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we                                                                                             remember it.” 
                                                                                                    ― L.M. Montgomery, The Story Girl

I begin today's post with such a quote as it is specially connected to what this post is going to be about. Today I write about memories forgotten by many and unknown to many . Kolkata as we now know it , which is home to many of us has turned so modern that many cannot visualize what Calcutta was like. Though I do find some remains of old Calcutta here and there and mostly in North Calcutta, much of what was, is lost to us. The buildings demolished, the mansions brought down to make multi-storey buildings and above all the people who knew the past are fading away quietly  burying with them the many secrets of Calcutta.

Unfortunately I myself have not ever had a chance to communicate with such people but the good point is that these scenes are captured by great artists in their works. These works would never die and remind us of our culture and heritage whenever we forget it . I still remember during one of my college breaks when I entered a famous bookstore in Park Street and while my friends were looking at books I was staring at some paintings of Old Calcutta. A  young man called for an attendant  and asked him about the paintings to which the attendant looked clueless. In fact he replied that no one ever buys those and they just lie there year after year gathering dust. I was amazed by the reply which the young man gave and that reply is one of the primary reasons I am writing this post today he said and I quote" I am most unfortunate to not have been able to see the beauty of Old Calcutta and I am just trying to discover and keep that fire alive in society". That day he stunned two people with his reply- the attendant and me as well.

Since then I have started my own research about paintings of Old Calcutta and I think it would be best that they tell their own stories rather than me describing them today. Though there are lots of copyright issues I have still managed to find some that will not put anyone in trouble.

Starting with the oldest, anyone who has ever read the history of Calcutta would know the Battle of Plassey.

This is a painting of one of the famous animal sports played during the Raaj. Armed men would be seated on top of elephants and begin their hunt to kill an animal. These were some of the atrocious animals sports played and I sometimes wonder whether they are one of the reasons that wildlife is becoming endangered and extinct today.

Up next two of the most renowned and famous temples of Kolkata- Dakhineshwar Temple (Above) and Kalighat (Below). Earlier one used to cross the Ganges on shared boats to reach the Dakhineshwar Temple but today the infrastructure is so developed that hardly one sees anyone coming there by boat. In fact the boats seen in the sketch of Kalighat are near extinct. If one is lucky one might get to see some of them parked at the Ganges Ghat.

If temples are found in Calcutta, churches are also no less. Considering that the British ruled over us for 200 years it is impossible that churches were not built. The Scottish Church (Above ) and St Peter's Church in Fort William (Below) are two of the oldest churches in Calcutta. However if one visits them today, one would not be able to imagine the difference between the paintings and reality.

These form three of my personal favorite paintings and sketches. The First painting (above) is a view of the Esplanade road from Chowringhee. Looking at the place today it is hard to imagine that horses roamed the very streets once.The next one (Middle) is a painting of Belvedere  House Alipore. Interestingly such old houses today are the hotspots of ghost stories . Whether these stories are true or just tales told by locals to scare away people for their own personal gains is yet to be discovered. The third (Below) , a pencil sketch of Victoria Memorial  by Samir Biswas would always remain etched in the minds of those who take one look at it.

Since this post deals with sketches and paintings it would not be fair if I do not add a painting of an art gallery. And lastly I end the post with two very popular traditional Bengali paintings. The first by Jamini Roy and the second depicting the famous Sindoor Khela during Durga Puja.

 Though much has changed today in terms of technology and infrastructure development, still I sense that “Sometimes. . . . the things I remember are more real than the things I see. ” 

  

The Walls of Kolkata . . . And Beyond

 I was walking down the street randomly looking , searching for an idea for my blog when I saw the walls around me . Something very familiar greeted me which I have seen in many places- Golfgreen, Jadavpur, Park Street etc. -these were nothing but graffiti's.  Many support it and many think it as vandalism .Personally, I think they are a means to beautify the worn out walls and provide colors to the otherwise dull streets and walls.It was this interest in graffiti and a search regarding it which made me befriend a well known graffiti artist in Kolkata. Hereon, my friend will be known by the name of Srek as most of the graffiti writers work under pseudonyms. They write their pseudonyms on falls to earn recognition or else charges of vandalism can be put up against them. They can truly be called "ghost writers".

Srek and his team have made numerous trips to various different lanes and by lanes of Kolkata and have created visually appealing graffiti which are recognized by their signature marks"Zypher".

This particular piece has been made in Lake gardens.The multi-coloured filling inside the alphabets spell out "ZYPHER". Underneath the signs of the artists have been made so that their identity can be retained.

Both these are a replication of my friends name. One (above ) made in Picnic Garden while the other one (below ) made in Sudder street. Having visited these places myself I can truly vouch for the fact that these break the monotony of the same brown -grey coloured walls cracking from different places and transforming the dullness into a masterpiece.

If you think that graffiti can only be done on walls and streets then it is a wrong notion. It can be done just about anywhere - even a truck. This particular truck was parked for a short time and within that time the graffiti magic was worked on to it to make it  look colourful in a manner one could never have imagined. This is what my friend calls as  The Truck Bombing in Lake Gardens.

PHOTO COURTSEY: SOVAN RAY AND SREK

While the young kids have different kinds of bags like Barbie bags and cartoon sketched bags, people going to college or carrying laptop bags have a dull blackish one, and even if it is not black it is always a monotone. But this monotone was broken by Srek again by actually painting  the bags. Mobile phone covers are also customized by doing graffitis of common superheros or cartoon characters.

In fact the wind of graffiti has also caught in other places. Recently, Srek was invited for the Graffiti jam in Delhi. The next one was created there.

Graffiti is now going global. Not many people are actually into this and those who are in it know each other through Social Media. A lot of sticker trade also goes on between different countries like Germany, Portugal, Spain, India and other places. Srek was recently invited as a guest to judge the Graffiti event in St James school as well.

 I must say about an year ago when I wrote an article on him and his group, Graffiti was evolving. It was despised by many and accepted by many. Today a year later I see a transformation in the attitude of the people. Many from the older generation actually support these groups when they come and work their magic. The Graffiti warehouse is where they meet , jam and plan out further events (details of which will not be revealed here though! ). It is great to see the people accepting it and actually supporting and promoting it. It is even a greater pleasure to see more and more youngsters, all school- college goers and some professionals  come together for regular graffiti jams hosted in the city.

On this note I wish all my luck to Srek and his team and all those involved in Graffiti for their wonderful endeavour in keeping it alive in the upcoming years. I will also acknowledge him and his team for the photographs .I end this post with two favourites of mine. The first one made in World Wide Battle for graffiti  and the second which literally means "Something done with a bang" 

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Calcutta Streets

You cannot truly enjoy the essence of Kolkata if you do not take to the streets of this city. The City of Joy has more to offer to those travelling on their feet and exploring the city than it can offer to anyone sitting inside their air conditioned cars and driving away to glory through the roads. The City wakes up as early as 4 am . Though not many people can be seen on the roads at that time save those who are regular train commuters and morning walkers , by 6 :30 business resumes with full force.If you go out for  a morning walk you will get to see some beautiful and unusual sights. People feeding pigeons on their rooftops or in the streets is an age old practice which  have been kept alive. Thus it is common to see a little child with his / her grandparents feeding lots of pigeons in the morning.

FEEDING PIGEONS ON ROOFTOPS

Animals have a special connection with sunrise. No sooner does dawn approach than all the cocks start crowing, the birds chirp and sing their own melodies , the dog starts attending to its masters orders and occasionally a cat can be seen outside its masters doorstep waiting to be let in and cuddled with love and affection.

The footpaths are mostly occupied by those without whom a morning in this city is incomplete- whether it be a weekday or the weekends.  A tea stall with the vendor going haywire listening to the many orders that comes pouring in is a regular sight.Often little boys also help their fathers and brothers in serving the customers.Men can be seen waiting in queues to get their beards shaved and hairs cut from the barber, who quickly  tends to the demands of each of his customers. The cobbler sitting at a distance too seems to be very busy mending the soles and stitching the shoes that have been given to him.All these people fight against time as their customers come with very little time in hand and it is up to them to work fast and well lest they loose a customer and fees! 

PHOTO COURTESY: PRAGATI GUPTA AND GARIMA JHAWAR

PHOTO COURTESY: PRAGATI GUPTA AND GARIMA JHAWAR

Varieties of transport can be spotted on the streets.Cars driven by the morning walkers fill in every inch of the roadside parking space; Buses and trams carrying people to their office or work place ; hand pulled rickshaws , though on a verge of extinction can be seen carrying elderly people mostly women for their daily marketing to the local markets.

The local markets are the busiest places in the mornings apart from the parks and gardens where there is a crowd of morning walkers. In the market there is a crowd of morning shoppers. Every direction one looks there are vendors howling on top of their voices to attract customers; the regular buyers bargaining to get their stuffs at cheaper rates; vendors fighting among themselves, sharing the newest joke, discussing politics and games and most importantly trying to make the maximum profit.

Chawls are a common aspect in Kolkata.Though not as famous as the Dharavi in Mumbai, there still exist a few and exhibit the same qualities as of the chawls of Mumbai and other places. Work for them begins as usual by collecting and storing water which comes only for two hours. The endless line and women folk fighting for their turn is an everyday affair. The kids help their mothers in doing the household chores. The men relax in the morning by playing cards or getting up late as they have a tiring day ahead. 

Education in India plays a very important role in securing the future of a child.Thus mostly every child goes to school either early in the morning, or in the afternoon after finishing off with their household chores or attend night schools especially run for those children who work during the day and help in the family income.

Mending of roads, bridges and other construction works in Kolkata are not new to the eye. In many places one can see tents being put up by the workers and their work begins as early as dawn. They work through the whole day to speed up the process of repair or building so that the people can use it to their welfare.

Mark my words, by the time you come back from your walk no matter which ever road you take you can hear the horns of the cars, see the dust emitted by cars in the air and notice parents dragging their willing or unwilling children to make them catch their buses to school(except on a Saturday or Sunday). The traffic guards and policemen are on their duties and the famous traffic jam has already affected the streets.

When in Kolkata you simply cannot miss out these small experiences which define the city itself. Even under such tension, pressure and hastiness one never fails to stop by and see the smiling faces of the people or the many stories that these faces tell or the spark in the eyes of the people. These are the things which truly gives the city its name- The City of Joy as the people are happy and positive no matter what the circumstances are.