I did not expect that the encounter with this American couple would turn out to be so memorable. I heard a story that began 70 years back and continues to unfold in bits and pieces to this day. It also keeps adding new layers and meanings to the original plot lived in rural West Bengal on a secret US Airbase.
“We simply decided to follow the origin of those photos in the box and what we found was astonishing. It has changed our life for better,” Jerri Zbiral uttered in her low pitched voice as she revealed her journey along with her partner Alan Teller, into India’s (and also that of the US’s) forgotten piece of past.
The subplot itself is fascinating. An American couple buys a shoebox full of 127 old black and white photographs along with negatives in an estate sale in Chicago. Determined to solve the puzzle of these photos they started ‘following the box’ and eventually landed in Kolkata in search of Salua Airbase, Kharagpur.
But the real story takes us back to the days when the allied forces were planning a major action on British India’s eastern border during the World War II. The apprehension of a major Japanese attack through Burma brought together thousands of American, French, Russian and African soldiers to join the British war effort in India. The unit was dissolved in 1945 perhaps due to the imminent end of the war in the wake of decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this commotion of China-India-Burma war theatre, there was an American soldier who was part of 10th Photographic Technical Unit of the XX Bomber Command. After the dissolution of the unit and before they were reassigned this American solider ventured out to document people around the base. There from came those historic photos. But till today nobody knows who the soldier-photographer was and what prompted him to undertake this unique mission.
Fast forward to recent times! When Alan and Jerri bought this photographic treasure with no background information their curiosity ensured they became restless to such an extent that they left for Indian sojourn after consulting historians and anthropologists. There they discovered many things surrounding the mystery photos and also a new and deep world of a welcoming India.
“I actually miss the noise, the constant din of activity, telling me there are other people out there – lots of them – all with their own lives, living noisily. There are lots of people here too, but they just don’t let you know they are there.” These are some of the moving lines from their elaborate India blogs.
The couple then melted in India. For months together they wandered. They found the airstrip, laundry, canteen and photo lab of those times. Sure enough they met hundreds of Indians who shared their life experience and space with open hearts and arms. They also created fascinating art works by collaborating with Indian artists on the theme related to the photos. What came out are brilliant art through canvasses, photos, collages, poetry and videos.
“The further we get into this project, the more we realise how little we know,” observe Allen and Jerri. And as they seek to know they would hopefully return to India to continue their stories.
