Every family has an album filled with black and white photographs tucked away somewhere at home that acts as a visual link between the current and past generations. Viewing such albums is a nostalgic experience and paying attention to minute details tells a lot about how traditions and cultures have changed. However, when a family album belongs to one of India’s most known photo studios that have been in business for a 100 years, the photographs in the album have the power to get an entire country nostalgic.
To celebrate 100 years in business on World Photography Day, Mahatta & Co is organising an exhibition of archival photographs titled “Picturing a Century 1915-2015” at the IGNCA.
The selection of photos took Pavan Mehta four years as he had to go through over three lakh negatives out of which he made a short list of 3,000 and finally chose 300 for the show. “It was interesting to see what surprise each negative would throw and we still have so many left. I can’t begin to imagine the types of images that have been captured on them and are sitting in a box in our studio,” says Mr. Mehta who belongs to the third generation that has run the iconic studio in M Block of Connaught Place.
Viewing the photos that have mostly been shot in Kashmir and New Delhi, one realises how the skyline has changed so drastically.
Aerial shots of Lutyens’ Delhi shot from a glider are sure to make visitors stop and have a closer look. Photos of visiting dignitaries, architecture, famous personalities captured in a lighter mood and an entire section of portraits makes up the other section. There is a photograph of the first Maruti car that is sure to become a talking point among visitors.
The exhibition also includes an impressive collection of vintage cameras from the collection at the studio that includes rare cameras like the one that used to be attached to guns during World War II. A traditional studio and a dark room has also been recreated to enable youngsters who are not familiar with developing photographs understand the process. Mr. Mehta says they are now in the process of digitising their archives so that the images can be enjoyed by generations to come.
Mahatta & Co was started in Kashmir in 1915 and its Delhi studio was started in 1948. The exhibition is on at The Twin Art Gallery at IGNCA till September 8.
