Chanderi, 2007, film recon
By shooting photographs in Chanderi
50mm and I (N~ wants to be called 50mm now)
became an instant spectacle.
Its a smallish isolated town in the state of UP,
not many outsiders let alone tourist come there.
People with cameras shooting weavers at work in their homes,
is an odd thing indeed.
Its not like Mumbai or Delhi where a person with a camera
is just one of the crowd.
.
So consequently all kids within a 25 meter radius
gravitated around us, filling doorways and windows
to observe the goings on. They blocked camera light,
cast shadows, stood in the background of 50mm's camera frame.
My job at times became crowd control.
I had the backup camera, my trusty old Canon PowerShot SD500
I would get all the kids away from the main shoot,
and take group photos, write down family names,
get taken on a tour of the house, do background shots.
Photo's like these ones here.
Usha and Asharam Mankele's kids in the backyard.
50mm was shooting their mother weaving inside.
Asharam Mankele, Usha's husband and their kids
and nieces that lives next door. The three younger girls
are in their school uniforms.
BVS the weaving collective Usha works with also operates a girl's school
where the BVS collective kids can go for free, or actually a percentage of
profits from BVS handloom sales pays for the school.
Technically everything is wrong with this photo but I love it.
Usha and Asharam Mankele's kids and nieces in their home.
Pink walls and paper posters, simple and cheerful.
When the family income is about 125 rupees a week (3 dollars American)
you make due with the essentials, meaning family, bright colors and happy images.
I guess having so many girls around too, influenced the room's decor?
There is so much more to say here, about the situation in Chanderi.
Can I put etc before saying anything? Woman essentially don't leave
this town, they don't have the financial means to.
Weaving and family is their future, like the generations before them.
Collectives like BVS and micro finance are making life here sustainable.
These girls are the future of traditional handloom in Chanderi. One part
of me wants to see the 500 year old tradition of handloom live on in Chanderi.
Another part of me wants to see these girls enter the modern world
(or my conception of the modern world?)
...
but this is only one part of the story...
50mm with her entourage shooting photos in Chanderi.
The two girls on the balcony are Usha's daughter and niece.
50mm shooting on the streets of Chanderi,
( http://flickr.com/photos/50mm/ )
is a photographer for the Hindustan Times Newspaper Mumbai edition.
( http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/login.aspx )
..
50mm and I (N~ wants to be called 50mm now)
became an instant spectacle.
Its a smallish isolated town in the state of UP,
not many outsiders let alone tourist come there.
People with cameras shooting weavers at work in their homes,
is an odd thing indeed.
Its not like Mumbai or Delhi where a person with a camera
is just one of the crowd.
.
So consequently all kids within a 25 meter radius
gravitated around us, filling doorways and windows
to observe the goings on. They blocked camera light,
cast shadows, stood in the background of 50mm's camera frame.
My job at times became crowd control.
I had the backup camera, my trusty old Canon PowerShot SD500
I would get all the kids away from the main shoot,
and take group photos, write down family names,
get taken on a tour of the house, do background shots.
Photo's like these ones here.
Usha and Asharam Mankele's kids in the backyard.
50mm was shooting their mother weaving inside.
Asharam Mankele, Usha's husband and their kids
and nieces that lives next door. The three younger girls
are in their school uniforms.
BVS the weaving collective Usha works with also operates a girl's school
where the BVS collective kids can go for free, or actually a percentage of
profits from BVS handloom sales pays for the school.
Technically everything is wrong with this photo but I love it.
Usha and Asharam Mankele's kids and nieces in their home.
Pink walls and paper posters, simple and cheerful.
When the family income is about 125 rupees a week (3 dollars American)
you make due with the essentials, meaning family, bright colors and happy images.
I guess having so many girls around too, influenced the room's decor?
There is so much more to say here, about the situation in Chanderi.
Can I put etc before saying anything? Woman essentially don't leave
this town, they don't have the financial means to.
Weaving and family is their future, like the generations before them.
Collectives like BVS and micro finance are making life here sustainable.
These girls are the future of traditional handloom in Chanderi. One part
of me wants to see the 500 year old tradition of handloom live on in Chanderi.
Another part of me wants to see these girls enter the modern world
(or my conception of the modern world?)
...
but this is only one part of the story...
50mm with her entourage shooting photos in Chanderi.
The two girls on the balcony are Usha's daughter and niece.
50mm shooting on the streets of Chanderi,
( http://flickr.com/photos/50mm/ )
is a photographer for the Hindustan Times Newspaper Mumbai edition.
( http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/login.aspx )
..