Eyes of Madras 2.0
The last article I filed with my beloved editor.
There was not a cloud in the January sky when I stepped into the C.P. Art Centre, the venue of Eyes of Madras 2.0, an annual street photography exhibition. Inside, thanks to the vivid streetscapes on display it felt like monsoon. An autorickshaw moving barge-like through a flooded street. Drenched boys dancing in the wake of a scooter splash. A dutiful mailman wading through the knee-deep water to deliver letters. The familiar scenes recalled gentle rains, devastating cyclones and, ultimately, how the people of this resilient city bounce back from their travails.
The section I was in was appropriately named: Chennai Does Not Have Only Summer and the images were a rebuttal to that cliché: Madras has three seasons – hot, hotter and hottest. The seven other broad themes also made for memorable pictures: What does Chennai Celebrate, Passion at Work, Madrasa Suthi Pakka Porom (Let’s Roam the City Streets), Storytelling through Mobile, Chennai in Black and White, Palavannagalil Paravaigal Poochigal (Urban Flora and Fauna), and Chennai Rich in Arts. Mobile photography has democratized street documentation.
Chennai Photo Walkers will have you convinced that there is never a dull moment in the city, rain or shine. Since 2007, this band of amateur photographers has documented scenes featuring people and buildings ranging from the quotidian to the classic. In a metropolis of over ten million people, subjects about. And in the eyes of the camera, as in the eyes of the law, we are all equal. Whether it is the classical singer Aruna Sairam at the Music Academy or the vegetable vendor who has set up her stall under a plastic umbrella, the lens captures the individual’s dignified mien.
Picture Credit: Ramana Kumar B ‘Rain or Shine’ from Eyes of Madras 2.0
Since ours is a city by the sea, the camera-toting group has captured some of the best images right by the shore. A few shots which grabbed attention: A pair of white bulls being bathed at the Marina, a hand from a giant clay statue bidding the city one final goodbye, a group of young dancers leaping high on the sandy beach. There was also an image of fishermen turning work into play while unloading the catch of the day. “It was at Kasimedu, where unloading big fish was done as a ‘catch-the-ball act,’ says the photographer Naveen Kumar, a chartered accountant by profession, who was one of the four organizers of the show.
The organizers realized that a call for photos under the usual themes of Architecture, Landscape, and Natural Heritage of Chennai would only lead to submissions of repeat images of the LIC, catamarans, banyan trees of Adyar and so on. “We wanted every theme to have a story, or some drama and hope we achieved what was intended,” Kumar says. He adds that much thought went into the captioning as well. “If the captions were inappropriate or if they lacked punch or drama, we went in and made changes. ”
Picture Credit: Sethu Raman ‘Celebration of Joy’ from Eyes of Madras 2.0
Veteran BBC correspondent Andrew Whitehead, who is in town to teach at the Asian School of Journalism, says the photographs were of exceptional quality. Some of the images made him linger; others made him laugh out loud. His favorite? A beaming shopkeeper admiring photos of himself and his storefront, taken just minutes earlier. “People are always keen to see how their photos turn out,” says Whitehead. This is a near-universal truth, perhaps.
An estimated two thousand people dropped in to see the three-day show, which, the organizers say, was an event to encourage passionate amateur photographers. Will it inspire its members to explore this “wildly photogenic city” as Londoner Whitehead calls Chennai? At present, The Chennai Photowalk Group has over 16,700 members on its rolls in Facebook. They go out as a group, in and around Chennai, on the first and third Sundays of each month. “All Are Welcome,” meaning, of course, the membership is free of charge. What will a newly inspired bunch of weekend photographers focus their lens on? We’ll know when the next edition of this exhibition comes out. Eyes of Madras 1.0 was held in August 2017 during Madras Week.
This edition felt cool and refreshing, even transformative — reframing nostalgia as re-seeing. No rose-tinted glasses needed.