Photographers to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis

A five-year-old photography group that sighs Thank God it’s Saturday (TGiF) will be exhibiting their art for the fifth year in a row on June 1, the proceeds of which will be donated to a Multiple Scle
Photograph titled “A sip of holy water” by Bireswar Pati
Photograph titled “A sip of holy water” by Bireswar Pati

BENGALURU: A five-year-old photography group that sighs Thank God it’s Saturday (TGiF) will be exhibiting their art for the fifth year in a row on June 1, the proceeds of which will be donated to a Multiple Sclerosis Society of India(MSSI).

The group that started as a casual meeting on Cubbon Park to pursue photography hobby has grown to be a network of 1,400 members in the city and outside. Aptly titled Jaga Chitra which translates to “universe taken as a picture”, the exhibition does not have any particular theme for this year.
You can expect to see portraits, landscapes, wildlife, culture, nature, stars and the night sky. The idea of 110 pictures put on display aims to showcase the spirit of India, says Kripa Ravikumar, a member of the club.

Even though the members meet all round the year on Saturdays, preparation for the exhibition started on February this year. Hundreds of submissions were made, but only a few were shortlisted.
The group keeps in touch through Facebook, where they upload their clicks, but this year, particularly for the exhibition, a WhatsApp group was created.

The participants are not only confined to the city since there are members who have left the city to settle somewhere else. Swiss Alps, Krabi Islands, Arizona, London and Cambodia will also be featured in the six-day long exhibition.

“This serves as a wonderful platform for new photographers to be featured alongside established photographers at the renowned Chitrakala Parishath,” says Kripa. “The proceeds go to the charity and buyers will receive receipt of the donationthat can be used for tax rebates,” adds Kripa.
Lat year, the exhibition raised `7 lakh. Buyers will receive receipts that are considered donations and therefore can be used for tax rebates. “We have no target, but we hope it will surpass the amounts,” Kripa adds further.

The photography group has amateurs and professional members with latter guiding the new comers. Some Saturdays they meet in Lalbaugh for macro-photography of insects while on other Saturdays they revolve around the theme of the season such as Valentines day or festivals.
Since sunlight is one of the main factors for a photographer, they chase the sun from 8 am.
The group was founded by international award winning photographers Anand Sharan and Shankar Subramanian.

The exhibition will be held from June 1 to 6 at Chitrakala Parishath. Visitors will be able to purchase the framed photographs, which are printed on special archival paper – quality that lasts for more than 40 years. With 500 submissions made this year, 110 have been shortlisted for exhibiting at the display.

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