Greatly inspired by the work of photographers like Raghu Rai and Raghubir Singh in the early ’80s, Sandesh Bhandare took up photography in the hope of emulating their work. He’s been pursuing his passion for the past 27 years and is, today, well-established as a documentary photographer.
But before he stepped behind the lens, there was one photo-story in particular that ignited Bhandare’s passion. “In 1983, Raghu Rai shot a photo-story about how elephants were transported from Kerala to Delhi for the opening ceremony of the Asian Games. He captured the journey of the elephants,” the Pune–based photographer reminisces. “We normally get inspired by good work and try to produce work of a similar nature. Simplistic work like that made me want to be a photographer.” In a talk titled ‘Stories From Behind The Lens’, the photographer will speak to an audience on Saturday evening about his journey, work, and a few images from his vast body of work in particular.
Bhandare’s journey as a photojournalist began with the Marathi newspaper Sakal in Mumbai, eventually moving to the publication’s headquarters in Pune a year later. After more than a decade, the 53-year-old started freelancing, working on projects that have notably turned into published books. For instance, there’s ‘ Tamasha ’, a project on Maharashtrian folk theatre that received a grant from the Indian Foundation for Arts in 2001.
Then there was the pilgrimage to Pandharpur, which culminated in ‘ WariEkAnandyatra ’, and ‘ Bahuroopi ’, which features images of street performers from all over Maharashtra.
Most of his work revolves around “the daily lives of ordinary people”. “The ‘ Wari ’ and ‘ Tamasha ’ series are just comments on the [lives] of people,” he says. “I don’t believe that good photography is about light and shadows, or different angles or about famous people. I believe shooting the mundane creatively is a real talent.” Bhandare continues to be inspired by the seemingly mundane. In addition to revisiting his previous work, the photographer is working on a photo series about a tribe of women from east Gujarat.
After almost three decades in the business, photography has a different meaning for Bhandare. “In the earlier days, it gave ordinary people the opportunity to be [artists]. The camera democratised art.”
Today, anyone with a camera can express themselves artistically. “The mobile phone has made that even easier today. But just because everyone has a mobile today does not mean that everyone is an artist. The eye behind the camera or the thoughts behind taking a photograph and the skill necessary to capture that, is what makes a good photographer.”
It comes as no surprise then that the old-school Bhandare steers clear of social media. “Instagram is a good platform for people to display their artistic work,” he says before adding that he doesn’t use the app.
“When I click a photograph, I review it and think about whether I want to exhibit it or not. Not just as a part of an exhibition but also to friends. It’s different for each person. I personally don’t believe in sharing images instantly. Self–promotional activity is not art. It’s good if it is used only to display art.”
‘Stories From Behind The Lens’ will take place at theMCubedLibrary at 5 p.m. today. Admission is free, but registration is recommended. Visit junoontheatre.org for details.
