Photographer: Satyajit Ray

Hey Guys...

This is one of those posts where the plan is something but the result is something else. Well, the entire Nissan account from my office was out for a day off at Nirala Resort, Deulti on the 16th of Nov, 2011. [please Google the words which are bouncing by]. And summarizing the trip, I would say it was fun and my camera sat happily in its little bag the whole time we were there. But I had to take it out on our way back.

Nilanjan, Riyanka, Ritabrata and I were the only ones from South Kolkata. leaving our picnic bus at Rabindra Sadan, we started walking to take the metros. Rito, although, preferred a cab and left. While crossing the Nandan area, the rest of  the three realized that the place was exceptionally crowded. That day was the second to last of the Kolkata Film Festival this year. Naah, none of us went inside to watch any of the 'world movies'. A few more steps and we were in front of the Gaganendra Shilpa Pradarshanshala [Gaganendra Art Exhibition Gallery]. Above its entry gates the banner read "Photographer: Satyajit Ray". You don't get points to guess what we did next :)

To my surprise, using cameras inside the gallery was not prohibited. Although I personally feel that camera should ideally not be used in such exhibitions, but the 'blogger' part of me was happy to be able to click so that he could share those photographs by Mr. Ray which were not seen till now. Below are a few of them. [No jabbering here, just imagine a  slow and quiet walk in the gallery. See you near the exit :)]

 

For a versatile personality like that of Mr. Satyajit Ray, it is not at all surprising that he will be roaming over the entire globe in search for 'something better'. I cant dare comment on what he looked for in anything, but as an avid fan of his creations, I can say that the way he has portrayed human and human conditions in his films, it touches you somewhere or the other or at least makes you compare your own conditions with the scene going on the big screen.

The photographs on the display were taken from a wide range of places. From Vienna to Darjelling. From Rajasthan to Rome. From Calcutta to Paris to America. From Sikkim to London. There was poverty, there was glamour. There was street, there was supermall. There were sketches, there were doodles. Although the world knows him as a film maker, we here, have known Satyajit Ray as a story writer, photographer, lyricist, music director, painter, biographer. He was the complete artist for me.

There were some photographs of the legendary face of Bengali cinema, Uttam Kumar too. Unfortunately, I could not get a presentable shot of him but Nilanjan sure did. By the excitement I could see in him (and also in me) when we were leaving the gallery, I was convinced that the debate-loving, art-critic race of ours still hold an unconditional respect for those icons who have defined the whole culture in their times, in their own ways.

Huh... That's all I have got. 

Till next time,

Cheers :)