Description
This photograph is one of those treasured possessions that I took back from Mumbai during my maiden visit to the City of Dreams. Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai has always been a street photographer’s favorite hunting ground not just because of the colors, textures, action and stories but because of the wonderful light that penetrates through the perforated rooftops at various corners of the hub. And the best part is, this light is pretty much there in the later half of the day for almost the entire year – however, as a street photography enthusiast, it is perhaps not enough of a fodder to capture any natural phenomenon without a story telling component in it. Thus began my wait for the right moment pretty much inside the furnace of Dhobi Ghat with the heat getting the better of us with every passing second. I think we waited there for almost 2.5 hours before we started spotting clutter-free frames; but there was still something missing. I had surveyed the entire area meticulously over this period to gauge possibilities of an interesting action-packed moment that might create a memorable frame, but it seemed like non-existent. However, at around 3:55 PM, I witnessed 2 little kids who were studying at the farthest corner of the pavement got an unexpected break and their exuberance drove them into this little path that was bathed in sun-rays. I reckon the raw action and momentum captured in this frame coupled with the smile on one of the kid's face pretty much created a frame to be treasured for the rest of my life. It does depict the fact that even the vulnerabilities of life are often bypassed by the purity of the heart and zeal to speed past those difficult moments of life.
Name of Artist: Sammya Brata
Medium: Photography
Editions: Limited to 40
Image specifications- 4016 × 6016
Shot in the year - 2018
About the artist: A Manager by profession working with one of the Big 4’s of consulting, Sammya has been an aspiring “scribbler” right from the age of 3. Story telling has been pretty much his forte which has gradually evolved into a riveting “pursuit for photo-stories” on the Streets of Calcutta; an interest that has gradually transformed into a zest. Fondly called as “Deckle Edge” (his social media avatar), he is also the founder of Calcutta’s very first and the largest Instagram community “Calcutta Instagrammers” that has conducted hugely successful Instagram-walks & knowledge sharing sessions in the city and have been featured in leading print media like The Telegraph / The Statesman/ Times of India and popular online media like National Geographic Magazine, Mashable, First post, Social Samosa etc. highlighting the success. As a passionate Street Photographer, he has won numerous photography competitions and awards at the National and International level including features by top Photography brands like Canon India, Nikon India, National Geographic Traveller India, Animal Planet, Fujifilm India, Idea Cellular, Vodafone, Sennheiser India, ASUS India, Nerolac Paints, Berger Paints etc. He is also the winner of India’s biggest live photo contest Canon Photo Marathon India 2019 and recently travelled to Japan to represent the country at the Grand Finale of the Canon Asia Marathon 2019. He has also conceptualized and executed a number of successful mixed-media-events like Calcutta Art Confluence and has been the brand ambassador of Vivo India mobiles. His contribution to the book “SoulCity-Inside Stories from Calcutta” is a manifestation of his love, attachment and allegiance towards his “Soul-City”- Calcutta, a book that features one of his short-stories and some his memorable photographs. He has also assisted in curation of photographs for a recently launched book – “The Temporary Calcuttan” and enriched the photo-gallery of the recently renovated Metcalfe Hall, a project by the Archaeological Survey of India. He has also been a two time TEDx Speaker and a part of the organizing team of India’s largest NFT exhibition in Bangalore in 2022.
License: Primary NFT holder is free to use in advertising, display privately and in groups, including virtual galleries, documentaries, and essays by holder of the NFT, as long as creator is credited. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works. Copyright remains with creator.