HYDERABAD: An old lady walking into the sunset. A little girl’s elongated shadow escaping her tiny frame. A child standing amid geometric shades of lofty pillars. An interesting interplay of light and shadow. Almost wondrous in nature and texture.
These are from the 61 photographs clicked by Manobina Roy, one of the earliest women photographers of India. Most of these are clicked between 1930s and 1970s and are on display at Shrishti Art Gallery celebrating the late photographer’s birth centenary. The exhibition is titled ‘A Woman and Her Camera’.
Most of these photographs look candid and are shot in India, England, Switzerland and Russia. What one sees on the walls of the gallery are reprints as "the originals are in fragile condition and have been restored," informs MC Mohan the curator of the show and an art historian. The exhibition was the idea of Joy Bimal Roy, Manobina Roy and noted filmmaker Bimal Roy’s son.
He and Mohan made the selection from 1,000 odd photographs. Joy shares, "After 18 years, I have been able to put this exhibition together. When you look at the photographs you notice the beautiful play of shadow and light. That’s because she loved to shoot only in natural light."
Adds Manobina’s filmmaker daughter Aparajita Sinha, who is based in Hyderabad, "She captured all the moments through her camera. Sometimes even when we’d be brushing teeth. And we would say: ‘Ma! Go away. Not now!’ But that was her mastery. She would recreate us as her subjects, her models. She’d take photographs of friends and strangers especially during her trips abroad with my father."
But how did she manage to shoot strangers without them actually noticing it? Explains Mohan, "She used a Rolleiflex camera which gives the photographer a low angle and that’s how not many could notice her shooting."
Manobina shot along with her twin sister Debolina. Their father, Binode Behari Sen Roy, gifted them the first camera when they were just 12. He was a member of the Royal Photographic Society, Great Britain and moved in elite circles which gave the young photographers a chance to meet noted personalities.
Shares Aparajita, "They even had a dark room for themselves at home which was set up by our grandfather. He was a man ahead of the times who didn’t confine his daughters in purdah, provided good education to them and encouraged them to pursue their passion.” She further adds, “Ma’s forte was portraits. Girish Karnad and his wife asserted that theirs clicked by ma was the best. She captured the mood the way we find in paintings–smooth."
Mohan rues that she is documented as a domestic photographer because she shot at her home, familiar surroundings and trips abroad. "Her photographs are candid and at the same time provide missing links between 1930 and 1970-80s. During that time photography as an art form hadn’t arrived in India. She brought it on the front with her asymmetrical compositions. Earlier the photography on landscapes were almost done in the manner as if it were a Constable painting! She brought a different dimension to it. When you look at her click of an old lady walking into the sun, it offers all the elements: light and shade, shadows, texture, patterns, as she was conscious of the context. The image had to fuse and add meaning to the photos. It’s so relevant even today."
He adds, "She comments on the Western culture. She pitied the oldies, who were left alone. She was also impressed by the liberation of the women. If she were alive today she’d be marvellous due to her mature understanding of human nature. Her images were influenced by neo-realistic cinema. She had a symbiotic relationship with Bimal as they shared the same sensibilities."
Picture perfect
Her portraits of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vijayalakshmi Pandit and Krishna Menon have a sort of tenderness. She photographed Rabindranath Tagore in Jagannath Puri. It was one of the best photographs of Tagore published by the Illustrated Weekly of India in 1951. A a freelance photojournalist, she regularly contributed to the journal and the popular women’s magazine Femina.