An Ode to Publishing

A man makes a note on a dog-eared notepad pasted on a run-down wall,where stainless steel tumblers are arranged neatly on a shelf. A cut-out of a cartoon monk pasted a long time ago,peeks from under a jumble of wires. The photograph that oozes this old-world neglect is clicked by self-taught photographer,Ananth Padmanabhan,and is a part of his first ever solo exhibition,titled “Calcutta – Walking in the City”. “There is so much more to a city than its streets,monuments and markets,” says Padmanabhan. “When I click pictures,I like to look for oddities and noneities. They always have an unusual story to tell,” says the 37-year-old,who has been working with the publishing industry for 20 years.

The exhibition boasts around 30 black-and-white photographs shot inside a printing press in Kolkata. Padmanabhan explains his choice. “The press is called Swapna Printing Works Pvt Ltd. I had visited the place in 1998,when I was discovering Kolkata. I especially wanted to see it,because this is where first books by international publishers coming to India were published. In a way,the printing press,and,indeed Kolkata,played a huge role in the publishing industry of modern India. This is a personal journey and a tribute as a photographer,to the years I’ve spent in publishing,” he says. He revisited the place earlier this year and took the photographs in a day.

“Calcutta – Walking in the City” will be held at Experimental Art Gallery,India Habitat Centre,from November 1 to 10.