The Patel from Coventry

A band named Parvanna at Masterji's for a studio shot that they could use as an advertisement in the papers. Pics courtesy/Maganbhai Patel

The moniker 'Masterji' alludes to Maganbhai's former occupation as a school headmaster. Working later in a factory, Maganbhai saved up for a Kodak Brownie camera and a studio named Master's Art Studio. Here, many migrant families like his, from across the Indian Subcontinent would head for a formal shoot to either send back home or to remember an occasion. "Before mum could join him, my father stayed with Italians and Jamaicans in a hostel. He shot foundation stones being laid by migrants settling in Coventry," recalls Patel.

Maganbhai Patel

The result - shots at his studio and the informal ones of his family - ran into thousands. While many negatives of the studio shots had been disposed by Maganbhai, there were hundreds that had made their way into the 21st century that Patel and co-curator and photographer Jason Tilley had to sift through. "You cannot go anywhere in Coventry without hearing about him," shares Tilley, who belongs to a collective called Photo Archive Miners, which re-purposes photographic archives for public projects.

Jason Tilley and Tarla Patel at Churchill Chambers, Colaba. Pic/Bipin Kokate

The exhibition, which was first shown last November at the Fargo Creative Village, is a subtle comment on migrant communities. Patel says, "When we first held the exhibition, some recalled how my father said we looked like film stars. He knew how to get them to pose perfectly. He'd say, 'This is a memory for you and a memory for me as well.'"

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!