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Journalism of Courage
SABRIYAH SAEED
The three floors of the National Gallery of Modern Art are showing the works of photojournalist Kulwant Roy that have been curated by Aditya Arya. The exhibition features only a fragment of Roy’s collection, but it is extensive enough to tell a story of India through some of its darkest and brightest moments.
Roy, who takes us through the Indian independence movement and beyond, had no formal training in photography; instead, he learned his craft at the Gopal Chitter Kuteer studio in Lahore. He went on to record the Indian National Congress’ activities and accompanied Mahatma Gandhi on his travels around India in the late ’30s.
One of the pictures, from 1946, on display is an intimate shot of India’s most influential men — SV Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru — sitting cross-legged on the ground, busy in discussion. Then there are images such as those of Nehru washing his hands after lunch or him touching his grandson’s cheek saying goodbye — revealing the personalities of India’s greats. Many of these works are just seeing the light of day.
“He followed the complex trajectory of the freedom movement, its deliberations and personalities, its aftermath both tragic and triumphant, and remained a practitioner of news photography to the end,” says Arya. “
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