CAPITAL IN-CAMERA

So,is Delhi,among the world’s most photographed cities,the city for fostering the right environment and infrastructure for the growth of photography as an art form? Photographer Sunil Gupta says that Delhi has inevitably become the hub for photographers. “It’s a combination of obvious reasons and effort on the part of individuals and groups. Delhi is the national cultural centre,so whatever happens here gets into the news more easily than if it happens in say,Lucknow,” he says. He also points out that important archives like the Alkazi Foundation and the IGNCA’s archive of the complete works of Raja Deen Dayal,also exist in Delhi. Where Mumbai has a love for photography it does not have the space to house archives.

Photographers are a solitary lot,but every now and then they try to organise themselves into groups and collectives and Delhi has the history of a subculture around photography,one that was self-help driven to begin with,says Gupta,referring to Photo Media,a group started by Radhika Singh in the 1980s. Camera Lucida is a recent group and though their members are from Kolkata they chose Delhi as their base. While Kolkata has the passion it does not possess the infrastructure that Delhi does.

Another key figure in the development of a ‘scene’ is the famous photojournalist Raghu Rai,who began with Magnum photos and then established himself as a freelancer. “Delhi is my home,so while I may travel the world with my camera,my base has always been here and photographers do come around to chat about their work,” says Rai who always has young photographers hanging around to pick up a tip or two.

“It is a very exciting time for photography and we,in India,need exposure to international trends and cutting edge photography,” says Tasneem Mehta,director of Mumbai’s Bhau Daji Lad and liaison person with the V&A. The key person behind the NGMA exhibition that travels from Mumbai to Delhi and is showcasing important photographers from the UK like Richard Billingham,Gavin Turk,Gerhard Stomberg.

American curator Janet Delaney brings an exhibition titled American Psyche. It’s a broad but personal selection of 10 of USA’s important photographers. “I wanted to address issues of religion,economy and social class through their images and find resonances with some Indian’s own preoccupations,” says Delaney. From Mark Steinmetz to Christopher Churchill,Susan Felter to Jim Goldberg,one gets a ringside view of middle class homes,vagrants,empty shopping malls and studio portraits of families we are not that different after all!

Gauri Gill,however,isn’t sure about Delhi’s status as a Camera Capital. “I don’t think there is institutional support but I do think there are great individuals working here,” says Gill who started Camera Work,with Gupta,a quarterly on photography. “It’s the center of intellectual life right now and,though I love Bombay,I’m impressed by the swathe of people you can interact with in Delhi,from writers and journalists to activists. Academics are also situated here and there are alternative spaces like Sarai and Khoj that sponsor non commercial ventures,” she reasons.

So,what’ s next? Can we hope that the first art colleges to offer photography as a BFA or MFA will be in Delhi?