by Nilanjan Das on Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:48 am
Though totally unrelated but very funny, have you ever been on a tram in Kolkata ? Next time when you are here you must actually, the driver of the tram has a grill like this in front of him. The cabin looks like a cage too, space for gadgets, but hardly any space for the person who drives it. The driver looks at the outside world stuck to his rails moving at a very slow speed watching the rest of the world rushing away in great speed. While bringing my son back from school, most of the days I get stuck in a street which is a popular tram route. Often these trams create the traffic jams, as either there is electricity failure, or derailment or something. I look at the driver, which is nearly always an old man, stuck in his time inside the grill, once proud of being the most popular form of travel in Kolkata now operated only to remind us of the glorious days ( some routes are very popular now also ). Best is you see the passengers in the tram, even if the tram gets stuck for a long time, these people stay put in their seats, well most of them, these can be so easily identified as people who have not responded to speed, change or makeover which is happening every day. This image of yours also reminded me of Pamuk's way of looking at his favourite city Istanbul,changes happening to suite the Western World but he tries to hold on through the memories ranging from the pages of history to the melancholic day dreams of the poets or even the silent flow of the lakes besides which people once spent time with their beloved.
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Nilanjan Das Photography
. Not to take away anything from this image, just felt probably the message was a bit too direct, I sincerely hope you do not mind my candid expression as my intention is to only incite a spark which leads to creating an unusual approach or unusual visual to evoke similar response. I would love to know your thoughts on this, You have created this in the past also, I keep going back to your image of the crushed flower with marks of the boot representing human civilization. That is one of the best that I have seen from you, will never forget it. Am just expecting more out of you now Nirlep, something more unique, something unusual, more thought provoking and not so direct yet very impacting. Possible dear ??
Nilanjan the reason why photography is so subjective could be gauged by the fact that you found in this image the response of an incarcerated photographer and I clicked it just to make it less monotonous!! Strolling on this stretch for the last 25 years everything has become so familiar. Trying to include this gate which farmers use to keep stray cattle away was an attempt to look at the same thing differently. Hope that explains this picture. The one before this was just another way of using inclusive framing. it had no aesthetic claims to it. 