Nazar: The ‘Mahakumbh’ of Photography

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“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”

— Aaron Siskind

The ‘long weekend’ that recently passed unleashed a wave of inspiration, new perspectives and vigour for shutterbugs in the Pink City as a 3-day photography exhibition at Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) — ‘Nazar’ – had on display over 200 photographs of over 100 photographers from 19 August to 21 August. The exhibition, being held as a part of the Jaipur Photo Festival, served as a platform to unite passionate photographers from various walks of life such as administrative officers, photo journalists, professional photographers as well as students.

Shutterbugs from diverse walks of life unite at Nazar

The pictures on display were clicked by a diverse group of photographers from not just the state but also from across the country. While photography enthusiasts from Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Barmer, Sawai Madhopur, Udaipur participated in the show from Rajasthan, people from areas like Jammu, Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh also had their works on display. In the international category, photographs clicked by snappers from Denmark, Muscat and Australia were also a part of the exhibition. Some of the noteworthy names whose photographs were on display included IAS Pawan Arora, Dr. Neeraj K Pavwan, IFS Arijit Banerjee and Former State Minister and wildlife enthusiast, Bina Kak.

Evocative Photographs as well as a vintage camera were crowd pullers

From forests and wildlife to the rich and colourful culture of Rajasthan, from a 22 feet long moustache to still from everyday life, the exhibition beautifully captured the multitude of hues of life.
A great attraction at the show was the display of a vintage camera of 1860. Renowned cameraperson, Tikamchand acquainted the visitors with the process of using vintage cameras for clicking photographs. A photograph clicked from this vintage camera was also a part of the exhibits at the show. Detailed workshops with photo journalists Rajdeep Sharma and Suman Sarkar also helped the visitors and amateur photographers to understand the intricacies of the art and science of photography.

The patron of the exhibition, Renuka Kumawat shared that the objective of ‘Nazar’ Photo Exhibition was to provide a platform for all photographers. It also served as a motivation for photography enthusiasts to take up the art and pursue it with dedication and zeal. More such exhibitions and workshops will also be organized in the future, she informed.