Kaynat Qazi has been travelling for more than four years now. She loves capturing the diverse culture she comes across. Some of her best shots will be displayed in the exhibition titled Colours of India. She shares details withT Mukherjee
She takes a trip every month to places that have not been travelled to, to bring out what usually escapes the regular eye. Qazi penetrates deep into the country and through her photographs she intends to take her viewers on a journey to unexplored destinations. Some of her photos will be on display at the Open Palm Court Gallery, IHC, in an exhibition titled Colours of India.
Qazi grew up watching her father click pictures. She says, “My father would discuss compositions and rules of photography. I would hardly understand the technicalities but I gradually developed an inclination towards the camera.” She has been trained under the guidance of OP Sharma.
Colours of India is not about the places that witness thousands of tourists every year. The exhibition, as Qazi says, “offers to take you into the little pockets of the country.”
The photographs that will be displayed in the exhibition are an outcome of extensive travelling throughout the country. From the heights of leh and ladakh, Qazi has ventured deep into the villages of Uttar Pradesh. Centuries of Indian craftsmanship from Rajasthan and the unique culture of Maharashtra have also been captured in her photographs. “I have tried to bring the rich culture and heritage of India to life through my pictures. Rajasthan is beautiful and it is beauty without the sunscreen,” says Qazi.
Her special interest lies in capturing female expressions which is conspicuous from her photographs taken in the leh region. “The women of the hills are warm and welcoming. Their old faces have wrinkles but their smiles certainly surpass the beauty that surrounds them,” she says.
Her passion for photography is evident as she talks of her pictures and expresses difficulty in choosing a favourite. She says, “The picture that is close to my heart is the one taken at Phoolmandi located near the Delhi-Noida border. It is an aerial view of four women sitting around a hill of flowers and making garlands,” she states.
Although Qazi has explored all genres of photography, she enjoys candid and street photography the most. “Candid photography brings you closer to reality. As soon as your subject is conscious of being clicked, the original element is lost and the lens fails to bring out the truth,” she adds.
“Photography for me is meditation. Through this exhibition I want my viewers to visit the places I had been to and figure out the story behind each picture,” she concludes. The exhibition will start on July 12 and will continue for four days.