Kolkata, through youth's lens

Kolkata's appeal as a tourist destination will get a boost with a unique exercise that is set to start from next month. Christened 'CamEra Our City, Our Angle', this initiative by social enterprise organization 'banglanatak dot com' in association with The Times Of India will involve about 300 young photographers who will capture Kolkata's heritage, lifestyle and moods on their cameras.The Times of India's partnership with this project is part of its 'Exploring Kolkata' initiative that will highlight and celebrate the city's heritage, passions, traditions and its very spirit.
The works of the photographers will be exhibited at public places, followed by exhibition of the works of selected photographers at various galleries in the city. The venture will culminate in a display of 200 of the best photographs, which will also be made into picture postcards as a means of promoting Kolkata, at India's only public Sufi festival - the 'Sufi Sutra' - from January 31 to February 2 next year in the city.
Explaining the rationale behind this project, 'banglanatak dot com' director Amitava Bhattacharya said: "Photography is a communication tool that is one of the most powerful medium to create involved contact, creating a non verbal communication between entities, and is extremely popular medium with GenY. It can be used in connecting with people through sharing with them, strengthening our pride in the city and promoting Kolkata as a tourism destination by capturing moods, lifestyle and heritage of city through the lenses of the youth". The project, added Bhattacharya, is open to amateur, young, senior and professional photographers and entry is free. The last date of enrolment has been fixed as July 20.
Participating photographers can opt for the services of senior photographers who will act as their mentors. "They'll have to suggest subjects or themes on which they would like to work and also their preferred public space for exhibiting their works," said Bhattacharya. At the preparatory meeting for the project held a few days ago, participants - they included senior and young photographers, visual artists and designers - suggested various subjects and themes ranging from Kumartuli and 'Jatra Para' to China Town (Tangra), Bow Barracks and heritage structures of Kolkata. They also suggested many public spaces where the first round of exhibition from September 20 to 22 and September 27 to 29 can be held. After closing the entries on July 20 and processing all applications, participants will be assigned themes, subjects and mentors. The participants get till mid-September to complete their work.
"The whole idea behind exhibiting the works in public spaces is to involve people. It is the people who'll select photographs for the next round of exhibition in various galleries of the city in November this year. From there, a jury will select 200 of the best photographs for compilation and to be made into picture postcards to promote Kolkata. All photographs thus have to be positive showcasing the spirit of Kolkata," Bhattacharya explained.
Generally, he added, only a few places like Victoria Memorial are showcased to tourists. "But there is a lot more in Kolkata that tourists can find very attractive and interesting. There's a lot of heritage and lifestyle that tourists never really get to know about. This is what young photographers brimming with ideas and enthusiasm can look at and capture in many new angles and perspectives. And I'm sure their works will fulfill the purpose of this initiative," said Bhattacharya.
For the photographers, too, this is a win-win project. Apart from being mentored by senior or professional photographers, they'll get to showcase their skills and works and even curate their photographs, apart from interacting with people from all walks of life and getting invaluable public feedback. The photographers can also sell their works. And the exposure that the selected photographers will get from having their works exhibited at 'Sufi Sutra' will be priceless - 'Sufi Sutra', after all, is India's largest public and open-air festival promoting Sufi and traditional music that draws participants from across the country and the world. Also, having one's work printed as a picture postcard that'll promote Kolkata is a rarity for a young photographer.
Participants can mail their names and other details to arunima@banglanatak.com. Details can also be obtained from www.banglanatak.com and https://www.facebook.com/CamEraOurCityOurAngle on facebook.