In high places

His eyes have glanced past more than a million awesome scenarios not only to revel in their picturesque splendour but also to capture their captivating charisma.

With five books and more than a hundred exhibitions on aerial photography, Gopal Bodhe continues with his mission to document the mesmerising vistas of the country

His eyes have glanced past more than a million awesome scenarios not only to revel in their picturesque splendour but also to capture their captivating charisma. For he is the one whose love for the heritage of his country, makes him take the lead in making the memory of these wonders last an eternity. At 61, Gopal Bodhe with clinical efficiency progresses towards achieving his mission 8211; to document the heritage of the country. And to Bodhe who has been clicking pictures since he was eight the word is not only confined to forts and monuments, it goes beyond them encompassing the topography, geology and the sea change that it is witnessing today.

8220;Photography has been, and continues to be, an important method for understanding our industry, recreation, and natural landscape. As time passes, the contemporary photograph becomes a historical record and provides a window to the past. That is what I am dedicated towards, to keep this window of past always open so that people can have a glimpse of what there country used to be once upon a time and how it is now,8221; says Bodhe who is also listed in the Limca Book of World Records for the first ever exhibition on aerial photography in India.

Bodhe8217;s five books housing his visual collection are the testimony of the transition the country underwent, every photograph serving as a visual document bringing to the forefront the changes that till now were taken for granted. Flipping through them, one comes across pictures that surprise and shake you out of your reverie, to sit back and notice the changes around.

In his third book he documents the on8211;the-verge-of extinction relics, the light houses who are losing their identity in the era of GPS trackers. 8221; Lighthouses have now become a once-upon-a-time story because of these new navigational techniques coming up. I wanted to preserve their glory as it used to be, so I clicked their pictures.8221; Lighthouses around which the romance of many poems revolved and the suspense of many thrillers got a vivid expression find their abode in his books to rest in peace until a lover of art leafs through the pages to enliven its memories.

As one book strives to revive the spirit of the lighthouse his most recent release Mumbai 8211; A view from Heavens stores 12 years of his work, unfolding the many layers of transition that the metropolis has gone through. 8220;You can see in that book how the metropolis has changed in the past 12 years. How traffic used to be when the JJ flyover was not there and how it looks now when the flyover dominates the scene. Also, you can see how the green areas in many places have been compromised to make roads .8221;

Bodhe, who began as a solitary reaper in this field, feels a love for the art should be cultivated in youngsters. 8220;I feel people should come forward to get into this field so that everyone comes to know how beautiful our country is and starts respecting our heritage,8221; he signs off.