Zoom into Mumbai’s past through Foy Nissen’s lens
At one point, right in the middle of his talk about photographer, historian and heritage conservation pioneer Foy Nissen, Justice Gautam Patel pauses to look at a projected photograph and exclaims, “Look at that. It’s fabulous!” The image, shot by Nissen, shows the bronze statue of the Prince of Wales astride a horse, but with a local man, turban and all, seated under it. “This picture is Brexit!” he declares, to much laughter. “The underbelly of the Empire!”
There’s plenty more to see in Foy Nissen’s Bombay Photographs, a show at the JNAF gallery of the CSMVS, which opens today. Some 90 black-and-white images, largely of Mumbai since the early ’60s, show a city both familiar and remote. Captured are Janmashthami celebrations in 1977, the fountain at Crawford Market in 1984, undated images of quiet moments that now exist only in memory. Nissen shot them decades before others did. He looked at the city long before the heritage conservation movement kicked off in the 1990s (with his own recommendations forming the first Heritage List).
The Pune-born Nissen was on familiar turf in Mumbai, he studied here, returned with an art degree from Cambridge, and was often seen “barrelling through [his neighbourhood of] Altamount Road on his Vespa,” as Patel recalls. He was, for several years, the cultural representative at the British Council and hosted the best minds of the age at his home.
This show, curated by the JNAF’s Kamini Sawhney, draws from an archive bequeathed to the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation after Nissen’s death last year. Simin Patel, whose Bombaywalla enterprise will lead walks covering landmarks in the show’s photographs, says Nissen was one of the “finest guides to our city”.
Sunoo Taraporevala, who worked at the British Council Library and knew Nissen as a quiet, unassuming colleague, says the show is more than a collection of pictures. “It shows a man who looked at the city and its people as deserving of record long before others did...Looking at them after all these years, it’s lived memory as well as social history.”
(Foy Nissen’s Bombay is on display at the CSMVS until June 16)
-
Karnataka HC issues emergent notice to State in PSI recruitment scam case
Rachana Hanumanth and Jagrut S, who were among the toppers in the police sub-inspector recruitment exams held in October last year, had approached the HC earlier this month after they were named in the second FIR filed with regards to the case in Bengaluru. Rachana and Jagrut had participated in a protest against the scam earlier. The epicentre of the scam, Kalaburagi, was the exam centre from where most rankers emerged from.
-
Karnataka HC refuses to give Bengaluru techie his job back; Here's why
It is not prudent to allow a workman to get his job back when there is loss of mutual trust between the employer and employee, the Karnataka High Court has said. The court therefore ordered a digital services company to pay compensation of ₹10 lakh to the techie who was terminated but did not allow Ashis Kumar Nath's reinstatement to the job.
-
Veteran leader S M Krishna urges Bommai to protect 'Brand Bengaluru' amid rains
Veteran politician S M Krishna has written to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, expressing concern that frequent rain havoc in the city would hurt "Brand Bengaluru" and drive away investors. The 90-year old leader, credited by many for putting Bengaluru on the global map, has also made some suggestions aimed at protecting the "Brand Bengaluru." Krishna joined the BJP in 2017 after more than 45 years' association with the Congress.
-
Bengaluru: Face recognition tech to replace smart cards at Namma Metro
In a push to make processes hands-free in the IT hub of India, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation will reportedly replace smart cards, tokens and passes with face recognition technology at the automatic fare collection gates of the Namma Metro stations. The BMRCL had launched one-day and three-day passes on April 2 to increase the Namma Metro's ridership. The one-day passes were priced at Rs. 200, while the three-day passes are priced at Rs. 400.
-
Sidhu road rage case: Justice delayed but delivered, says victim’s family
The family members of Gurnam Singh, 65, who lost Gurnam Singh's life 34 years ago in a road rage incident involving cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu in Patiala, said that they are thankful to Almighty for the favourable order. The grandson of Gurnam Singh, Sabby recalled that Sidhu had reacted strongly when he was acquitted. “Take Sidhu's version. We can only say that we are thankful to God,” he added. Sidhu was an international cricketer when the incident took place.