Musings of Madras Magic – The New Indian Express

Express News Service

CHENNAI:  Everybody has something for them in Chennai — be it the heritage, the nature, wildlife or the urban culture. For those who want to explore the many faces of Chennai, Chennai Photowalk is hosting the fourth edition of their photo exhibition Eyes of Madras.  

“We are a team formed with photography enthusiasts 15 years ago, the main focus being celebrating Chennai as a city and everything it has to offer and capturing it through the lens of our members.  On our 10th year anniversary, we had the idea of having some kind of a platform to showcase young talent because ultimately, any artist looks forward to some appreciation, and encouragement,” shares Naveen Kumar, organiser at CPW. Other organisers include Balasubramanian GV, Ramaswamy N, Arun Chandrasekaran and Harihara Subramanian.

The exhibition is returning after a two-year hiatus, owing to the pandemic. But the pause did not dampen the spirit as they received over 1300 images from 181 participants. “It was a tough task to filter out the images.  There are many new faces and members,” Naveen says. While the numbers in themselves are commendable, it is the diversity among them that stands out. Participants as young as 11-1-year-olds have submitted images, and senior citizens too wake up as early as 6.00 am to indulge in the hobby, he informs.

This year, the exhibition will showcase 200 selected images representing various themes. “You will get to see black and white beauty of Chennai, the nature, and the diverse culture. There’s one theme where we’ve asked participants to submit images of auto rickshaws in various angles and multiple interesting frames.

We had one team to showcase Covid warriors, be it the sweepers, cleaners, social workers, doctors or more. We also have a new team focused on specific areas that have transformed over the year. One such place where we have done a couple of walks already is Kannagi Nagar,” he adds. There will also be a digital screen to showcase works by the 181 participants that couldn’t make it through the selection.