HT Kala Ghoda Arts Festival: Between the Bombay that was and the Mumbai that is

Photographer Fawzan Husain said he was impressed by the new generation of young photographers in Mumbai

As Mumbai becomes more frenetic, photography becomes more important. “Things change so drastically that we must document the city through photos now itself,” said photographer Chirodeep Chaudhuri, addressing a session held as part of the HDFC Home Loans literature section of the HT Kala Ghoda Arts Festival on Saturday.

Photographer Chirodeep Chaudhuri at DSL Garden on Saturday. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT)

“People look at their phones more than they look at the city, which is tragic,” Chaudhuri added.

Photographer Fawzan Husain was more optimistic, saying he was impressed by the new generation of young photographers in Mumbai.

“I teach photography and I see some students portray the city in such a great manner, I’m reassured that it is in good hands,” he said. Husain added, however, that the ease with which photos are now taken is worrying.

“Comfort makes people lazy. Earlier, we had a 36-frame limit and had to apply our minds, waiting for the exact moment to take the photo. The value of a picture reduces when it’s instant,” he added.

As the panel, moderated by Karamjeet Kaur, discussed portrayals of the city through the lens, the audience was ferried back and forth between the Bombay that was and the Mumbai that is.

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