Indian Photo Fest = Hyderabad's jewel

The Indian Photo Fest claims to be the largest photo festival in South Asia. And rightly so.

The fest that’s being held from September 20, 2019, to October 19, 2019, chose the right venue as well.  The State Art Gallery is a haven for art lovers. Nestled surreptitiously beside D Mart, the gate leads you to an uphill, dotted by metallic structures of crocodile, deities, and birds; the parapet wells are painted red with Worli art.  Enter the mammoth gallery of three floors and you’ll realize what a beautiful art space is hidden in the concrete jungle of Cyberabad. And you’d thank yourself for dragging yourself through the boisterous traffic to view the annual Indian Photo Festival, that boasts of an illustrious exhibition, book launches, work shops and a dedicated bunch of volunteers and participants.

The sprawling exhibition that narrate emotional stories need space and time and what better than this gallery where time pauses for you. With adequate seating arrangement outside each room, you can relax, removing your footwear and soak in the magnificence of the rolling banners of the Indian Photo Fest. The first floor has a room dedicated to the lifestyle and customs of tribes: Ho, from southern Bihar, now Jharkhand, and Raj Gonds in Adilabad district, documented by Dr. Michael Yorke, an anthropologist, documentary film maker, and of course, a photographer. The black and white soap bubbly images and the stick dance stir your heart. Also, in the same room, there is a luscious display of translucent nude photographs, taken by Rafique Sayed, a fashion photographer, who embarked on a journey to look beneath the physical beauty. He quotes Audrey Hepburn, “Lines of character are lines of knowledge.”

Walk or take the elevator to the top floors and you’ll be welcomed with unique themes by photographers from different countries such as Spain, France, Switzerland, USA, among  other countries, focusing on migrants, Albinos, women and their bruises, life in Algeria, portraits of birds. I was amused to see the collection “Requiem of Pianos” by Romain Theiry from France. Such a unique idea!

Romain is a self-taught photographer and a pianist (hence, the collection!). The pictures of abandoned pianos in various mansions of France string your soul. I imagined how the owners must have left them in a hurry or must have lost taste for it or have forgotten this huge instrument in their humdrum of life.  Oft, we foresee what’s in front of us.

The most painful ones were the photographs of migrants with their faces blown or the migrants hidden in dilapidated buildings, horrified. They were aptly displayed, pinned on barbed wires. An unfortunate trip to the memory lane was the display of 9/11 photos by the Pulitzer prize winning photographer, Richard Drew. Remember the picture of the man falling down the twin towers?

After gruesome visuals, I had to gather myself beside the café kiosk, Deja Brew, before I moved to the third floor where a display of birds, rare animals and a chimpanzee being rescued warmed the blazing heart. Also, a slideshow by various Indian and photographers from other countries held in a small room will pin your attention.

Do watch out for Santanu Dey’s collection, Former Elite Post-Colonial Dilemma, and George Steinmetz's Big Food, a collection of photographs about farm- and mass-produced dairy and seafood from various parts of world. 

The Indian Photo Fest is in its fifth year and well organized by a dedicated team led by Aquin Mathews. The exhibition is open for all and is free to enter. Check their website: http://indianphotofest.com/ to know more.