10th edition of India Photo Festival begins in Hyderabad

10th edition of India Photo Festival begins in Hyderabad

It was a moment of serendipity on Thursday evening when Governor Jishnu Dev Varma inaugurated the 10th edition of Indian Photo Festival in Hyderabad. He was surrounded by photographs clicked by his ancestor Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya (1837-1896) of Tripura.

“The Maharaja of Tripura, was among the first to get hold of a camera when it arrived in India, alongside Lala Deen Dayal. Who would have thought their works live on till now and speak to us from that time,” said Mr. Varma speaking at the inaugural.

The multi-location photo festival brings together the creativity of over 500 photographers in different formats. “We have archival images as well as a very diverse collection of works that speak across generations,” said Aquin Mathews, curator and brain behind the photo festival.

“These photographs document cultural heritage, including festivals, rituals, traditional attire, and architecture, preserving and promoting cultural identity for future generations. By sharing unique aspects of different cultures with a global audience, photography fosters cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, bringing down barriers and encouraging respect for diversity,” said Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, who was part of the inaugural event.

Spread over three floors of the State Art Gallery in Madhapur, the photo exhibition is a socio-cultural artifact that brings together the collective human experience over the past 150 years.

On one floor were the photographs clicked by twins Debalina and Manobina born in Dhaka who moved to India captured the transition of the country and their families in post-Independence Kolkata. At the other end was the colourful juxtaposition of plastic trash by Meredith Andrews from Bermuda. One look at the colourful images is enough to make people rethink the use of plastic disposables such as brushes, combs, and water bottles.

The exhibition, which has lectures, workshops, master classes and retrospectives, will continue till January 5, 2025.