‘Women changing India', an exhibition of photographs by six photographers from the renowned Magnum Photos Agency is on at Sevika Hall (formerly Chithram Art Gallery). BNP Paribas India, as part of its celebrations marking 150 years in India, commissioned the photo exhibition by Magnum.
Different aspects
Six photographers – Martine Franck, Alex Webb, Patrick Zachmann, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Olivia Arthur and Raghu Rai shot six diverse (culturally and geographically) aspects of the Indian woman. They reveal six diverse ‘views'.
Martine Franck's photographs capture aspects of microcredit and women's self help groups, mostly focussing on the groups in Gujarat. Alex Webb's photographs train the viewfinder on the varied roles that women play, roles that we have come traditionally to associate with men. Petrol pump attendants, security guards, cab drivers…the face of the new Indian woman which extends beyond the beauty queens or film stars. That aspect too is covered by the photographs of Alessandra Sanguinetti. We get to see the women behind the scenes such as directors (of course!), dancers, choreographers, production, costume and lighting designers. These are very different from the faces of Bollywood that we are normally exposed to.
Raghu Rai has photographed women who are contemporary and iconic – Anjolie Ela Menon, Chanda Kochchar, Indira Jaising, Swati Piramal, Aruna Roy etc. These are women who have come to set the tone for women achievers; these are the inspiring ‘doers'. Patrick Zachmann's photographs evocatively capture (through frames) the relevance and working of women panchayats in States such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Olivia Arthur's photographs and women in them speak of a different India. The Indian women of Infosys, of the IT sector, of research scholars, singers, radio jockeys, lawyers….the many faces of the evolving new Indian woman. The show concludes on November 21.
