Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Serenading Shekhawati
|
The havelis of Shekhawati offered Pallon Daruwala not only interesting photo ops, but a few lessons in human interactions as well
|
Balance of composition is as important as texture, feel, and play of light, says Pallon Daruwala. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
IT'S A huge leap from the glossy world of advertising to the peeling walls of Shekhawati havelis. But for the well-known industrial and advertising photographer, Pallon Daruwala, the tryst with the dilapidated buildings in this small region in Rajasthan is an effort to "give back something to the world that has given you so much".
Pointing to the intricate frescos on the walls in one of his pictures featured in the ongoing exhibition at Rennaissance Gallerie, The Art and Architecture of Shekhawati, he says: "The good thing is that they still exist. The sad thing is that they are not going to exist for long." Those who own these havelis have all gone away, seeking their fortunes elsewhere, leaving the grand structures in the care of poor local families which have no means of transcending the impoverished situations they are trapped in. And when the colour of a wall grows dim or the paint begins to peel, all they do is to whitewash it. Behind the whitewash go the lovely frescos and the rich texture of the havelis, which are unique for the way they blend the European and the Mughal styles. Pallon's evocative photographs — which will finally go into a book — are an effort at creating awareness about this rich heritage and the need to preserve them.
But what is it about Shekhawati that fascinates the man who has big clients like Bosch, Walt Disney, ANZ-Grindlays, and the Taj Group of Hotels under his belt? Commercial work, of course, is where the bread and plenty of butter comes from. But he also believes that it is important to train one's camera away from the area of dazzling lights to the dark corners that spark one's creativity. Pallon recalls how he was always fascinated by the architecture of Shekhawati, and it began to take the shape of a project as he researched on it and had discussion with the fellow-photographer, Prabuddha Das Gupta. He then packed his lenses and left for the arid Shekhawati.
And that was a world of experience beyond all that the Bangalore-based photographer was familiar with, not just in terms of the photo opportunities it lent, but also in terms of human interactions. He recalls his experiences with an old man in one of the big havelis. The man, who had swollen legs and sat with a staff in a corner, made a good picture, thought Pallon, and he clicked away. As he turned his back, the old man called out aloud. "Now comes the demand for a tip," thought Palloon to himself. But babaji said: "You can't go away without having tea." And this simplicity and totally undemanding hospitality was what struck the city-bred photographer throughout his stay in the region.
But what Pallon looked for, as a photographer, was not necessarily different from what he would look for in a steel-and-glass structure in a city — the lines, textures, and the play of light. And equally important for him is the balance of a composition. "I don't come back from the field and then begin to crop and chop. The composition happens in the camera." A lot of care goes into the process of printing and the quality of paper used too. For this series, he has used ink-jet printing on a matt-finish paper to ensure that the pictures acquire a painting-like, archival quality and each detail gets played up.
But is a photographer, who has worked with the sleek and the silken for years, tempted to look for glamour and romance as he looks at these crumbling structures through his lens? Says Pallon: "One may look for glamour. But it's not glamour as we normally understand it. It's a sheer celebration of design and texture."
(The exhibition is on at the Rennaissance Gallerie till April 5.)
BAGESHREE S.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
