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A retrospective of Jitendra Arya brings to light gems from the veteran photographer's oeuvre spanning 50 years
MF Husain
Photo historian and professor of video and television production at Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia, Gadihoke first came across Arya's treasure trove of photographs, spanning over half a century, in 2009. "I was working on a research project of photographs in film magazines, especially during the '50s and '60s, and many of his portraits had made it to magazine covers," she reveals, adding that his family approached her after they saw her retrospective of India's first woman photographer, Homai Vyarawalla.
"We discovered box after box of negatives. Time has taken its toll on the film, but we were also surprised to find some of it intact. But this is just a fraction of his oeuvre," says Kavi, a professor at IIT-Bombay. Gadihoke agrees, "Though he was known for staged portraiture, he was also a master in candid photography."
Kavi recalls how most of Arya's photographs were immortal moments executed in one go. "It baffled him how today's photographers shoot the same frame countless times," he says.
Arya wasn't known only for his portraits of the famous. "Many of his portraits, of Miss India contestants, for instance, helped put the spotlight on them," says Kavi. "People had this confidence that when they stood
before his lens, something would become of them."
From: September 1 to October 8, 11 am to 6 pm (curator's walks on September 2 and 3)
At: NGMA, Fort
Call: 22881969
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