Bright eyes, shy smiles

18 August,2009 11:52 AM IST |   |  Sunday Midday Team

August 19 is World Photography Day. We doff a hat with picks from Piramal Gallery's archives


August 19 is World Photography Day. We doff a hat with picks from Piramal Gallery's archives

Shining eyes, curious faces and shy smiles... nothing captures emotions better than the expert hands of a photographer. On the occasion of World Photography Day this Wednesday, Piramal Gallery's curator Mukesh Parpiani shares some rare and beautiful photographs from its archives. These images, exhibited along with 60 other photographs last week at the gallery, take you on a childhood journey spanning over 50 years.

Says Parpiani, "Every year we hold more than 350 shows by national and international photographers. No paintings are allowed. The exhibition you will see now covers a variety of human emotions."

Piramal Gallery has an archive of thousands of photographs, all donated by photographers. Their work is preserved under controlled temperatures in a safe vault. "With so many photos donated by veteran photographers I thought it would be a good idea to pull them out of the archives and hold an in-house exhibition. Casual and serious visitors can walk in to have a look at some amazing visuals," says Parpiani.

With about 200 books on the subject, visitors are free to use the material for reference. Next is an exhibition by 20 students of National Institute of Photography, starting from Monday.

Piramal Gallery is open from 11 am to 7 pm seven days a week, except on public holidays.

It's tough to pin point when this picture was taken, but the visual says it all. Shot by Santosh Verma

Caught in the frame of bangles worn by their Rajasthani mother, children peek out of their mud house window. Shot by Surendra R Patel

Dressed in Rajasthani ghagra cholis, three girls pose for the camera. Shot by Jyoti Bhatt


Children cover their heads with a basket, as pigeons gather enough courage to wait till the camera clicks. Shot by Pranlal Patel


The first cartwheel the baby does as soon as it arrives into the new world. Shot by Vivek Bendre


At a dog show perhaps, a child stands tall besides the four-legged animal. Shot by Saby Fernandes

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