Metro Plus Bangalore Chennai Hyderabad
 
A probing sensitivity
| Shaju John's photographs tease out the ironies in the
lives of women. On show till March 24 |
PHOTO: S. THANTHONI
THOUGHT PROVOKING Shaju
John's photographs on display
In the cozy confines of an air-conditioned first
class compartment, a mother is fast asleep beside her child, both of
them comfortably covered by a blanket. The photograph suggests that
they probably just got done with dinner — we can see the tiffin box
and a mineral water bottle on the makeshift table.
Right below, we see another picture of mother and
child. They are sleeping too. Right under a truck that provided them
shelter from the scorching sun. The child does not have a piece of
cloth on him. And, painted on one side of the body of the truck are
the alphabets D-I-E, appropriately brought into the frame probably
from the word: `Diesel.'
Vivid
imagery
Lensman Shaju John's frames revel in bringing out
the contrasts and ironies in the lives of women. The vivid imagery
not just tells a story, the pictures also address issues and trigger
discussions. Maybe some of that probing sensitivity comes from being
a photo-journalist. (Shaju John is a full-time employee of The
Hindu).
"This is just a small collection I put together for
the occasion. This wasn't planned as a collection," he says of his
set of photographs on display at the Alliance Francaise of Madras.
The collection called "Women: Struggle and Triumph" is a part of
Alliance Francaise's month-long celebration of women.
Shaju's frames are candid. They expose a society
and its inherent inequalities, a way of life dictated by not just
culture but also by economic diversities. They capture the spirit
and the determination of working women, the stark realities of their
everyday life, the power of motherhood and the vulnerability of the
physical form.
The photographs are not just visually brilliant
compositions, they are a delight for those who appreciate the
ironies of life and the unique ability of a frozen moment to strike
a chord. The high emotional quotient makes these pictures timeless,
thought-provoking and moving.
The exhibits are poignantly captioned, sometimes
providing us the back-stories of the subjects and sometimes bringing
to light the issues and the context behind those thousand words
spoken by pixels. Shaju admits to digitally adjusting brightness,
contrast and saturation of colours in a few pictures, to enhance the
mood. But, to be fair to him, the final frames do seem to justify
the means.
On Monday evening, at the inauguration of the
exhibition, the photographer interacted with the guests, explaining
his motivation, techniques and stories behind every picture. The
exhibition is on till March 24.
SUDHISH KAMATH
Printer friendly page
Send this
article to Friends by E-Mail
Metro
Plus Bangalore Chennai Hyderabad
| 