Remembering
Till I got to Bristol, I had no idea how deep the wound of the two world wars were in the western world. In the last 2 something months, I’ve come to appreciate that and know how much the people here have been shaped by the war.
Every town, every village remembers its soldiers. And a war memorial/cenotaph wherever space can be made.
An event on a comparable scale happened in India. Though, it has gone largely unnoticed and hurriedly, perhaps guiltily, forgotten. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
I was 2 years old and in Madras when that happened, so I cannot really claim to be affected by it in any way. But I do know of what happened and to whom, from reading reports and stories in the last few years. This year is the 25th anniversary of that event, and a few people are doing all they can to see that, if not justice, at-least recognition and remembrance is given to the victims of the accident.
With them I shall say “I’m a Bhopali“.
The twentysixth Chennai PhotoWalk/Mylapore Festival Walk
The PhotoWalkers, particularly me, like Mylapore. Which’s why, 5 photowalks have happened there. In fact, the very first Chennai Photowalk in, um, Chennai, began at Mylapore. Vincent D’Souza of Mylapore Times has long been a Chennai PhotoWalk enthusiast and supporter. He is also one of the principal agents behind Madras Week and Mylapore Festival, two events I cannot stop gushing of, like a high-school boy on his first crush.
So, it was only natural that at some point the two (not the high school boy and the crush. PhotoWalk and Mylapore Times) would come together. And that is now.
Announcing the first ever Mylapore Festival PhotoWalk/Exhibition and the 26th Chennai PhotoWalk.
The idea is simple. This December, the PhotoWalk gang will grossly invade privacy of home owners in Mylapore by taking photographs of classic Mylapore houses. Once we shoot the houses (with the permission of the houseowners, of course.) we will exhibit these photos as part of the Mylapore Festival, to be held in January.
This promises loads of fun and the only official chance to walk into a random house and shoot the owner. With Cannons.
And Nikons and Sonys and Pentaxes and Olympuses, as well. This also promises good fame and popularity and press mentions and a chance at becoming the future prime minister of India.
So anyway, that’s the big picture idea. Now to the details.
Since I am here, in Bristol, and slaving over a presentation I have to give in two days and have no solid material to work with, Vatsan is organising the walks and doing the routes. He’s come up with the following.
Walk #1 will be on the 13th of December, starting from the 16 Pillar Mandapam of Kapaleeshwar Kovil at 7 am
Walk #2 will be on the 20th of December, starting from the Kutchery Road Police station. at 7 am
Further information on exactly which houses to photograph etc will be provided soon. All you have to do now is mark your diaries and your calendars and your best aperture number, and wait. With breath bated or otherwise.
About
Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan is a copywriter, photographer and goofball from Chennai. He is also an archaeologist, historian and a city lover. He is currently a documentary film-maker and desk-monkey for a film production house.
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