The wonder years

Caught you. On camera! Looking out of class,doing a striptease,helping the canteen boy make endless cups of tea...

Caught you. On camera! Looking out of class,doing a striptease,helping the canteen boy make endless cups of tea,bunking class to be at the shooting of your dream girl,Hema Malini,creating your first painting,engrossed in discussions that ‘could change the world ‘…Welcome back,to the College of Art,a place where you were allowed to follow your heart and where dreaming was the done thing…Gazing at the years gone by,reliving precious memories and moments,former students gazed together at almost a 1,000 photographs which bring back an era gone by,at Yaddein,an exhibition of photographs of golden memories of the students of the Government College of Art. The effort of Kala Maitri,Alumni Association of the College,it’s the first time in the history of the institute that a creative platform has been created to get old and new students together.

And it’s been quite and effort,as you view the collage of pictures which frame by frame show you how it all began. “This one’s from the soul,for we all got together and did our bit,” smiles ace photographer Vinay Malik,a former student who’s been neck deep in work,carefully selecting pictures from his own collection,as well as taking brand-new ones. The students had none other than ‘our great’ Chacha Ujjagar Singh,who runs a small tea stall at the backside of the college to inaugurate the show,”he’s served us all for decades and has been an integral part of it all,” nods Vinay.

The sepia photographs have the exclusive attention of a graceful lady,as she gazes at a handsome young man in a black suit,all serious,prim and proper. Were you part of the college? Her answer is a smile,as she takes your arm and introduces you to her husband N K Dev,who was a teacher here,”he’s no more…and I wanted to live the moments he spent here,” Bani Dev finds him once more in the pictures. “You’re Professor Dev’s wife?” a Sikh gentleman touches her feet and holds her in a warm hug. “He was my teacher,my everything,he taught me all that I know about art,and sitting next to Prof Dev is my father,Sujan Singh,who also taught here,” Prof DS Kapoor,teaches applied arts here is overwhelmed. “My grandfather and father were part of the faculty,” Prof Kapoor takes you around the pictures from his collection,which include the college’s old building,then the Mayo College of Arts,now in Pakistan,then the shift to Shimla and the ariel view of it when it was set up in Chandigarh ’52.

From the batch of ’85,Kanwal Singh and Gurmeet Goldi receive special attention…as their daughter looks on with a smile. “Meet the first couple of Arts College. They got married on the campus,” smiles Sanjeev,a batchmate,now doing interiors in the city. A demure Gurmeet,in all her wedding finery,sits with Kanwal,as batchmates congratulate them. This one’s a priceless photograph. The exhibition will continue in three phases,with a coffee table book also in the pipeline,”you have to see it all,” insists Prof Kapoor. The years that were,the time and people who made those days extraordinary….this exhibition is timeless. Walk down memory lane till August 18.

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