The ‘golden’ pictures

HYDERABAD: In the black and white frame of Yella Venkateswara Rao playing mridangam and casually looking at the camera, a strand of hair falling on his face, he is seated in the centre between an accompanying artiste and a mridangam. The image is captivating, as are the 24 black and white images by photographer Ambareesh Pittie that are part of ‘Shunya: Arts of Stage’, at the Hamburg hall of Goethe Zentrum.

Legends from the field of music have been photographed during their stage performances. Explaining the title, Ambareesh states, “ Shunya is a point when an artiste loses him/herself completely. Artistes through various conversations have revealed to me that it is the point when they become one with the Almighty. It is a complete feeling when nothing is there. There is completeness and also nothing.” These ‘golden’ pictures bring out that moment when musicians and singers become seekers and sing/play, totally oblivious to the world around them.”

A close shot of Kishori Amonkar singing with her eyes closed is in sharp contrast to Pandit Jasraj’s photograph which exudes energy. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi looks emphatic while Balamurali Krishna’s extended hand is in focus. There are other stalwarts too like Ustad Bismillah Khan playing the shahnai, Ustad Allah Rakha’s poignant face sitting next to his son Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan on the santoor and a smiling Pandit Ravi Shankar playing the sitar. There is also a photograph of Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia taken during his younger days.

Clicked over a period of 30 years, it was very tough for Ambareesh to selecting just 24 out of the vast. “You tend to like every image of yours so the process of selection was difficult,” he smiles and adds, “The Hariprasad Chaurasia image was selected because of different parameters. The arch in the background fell very well. It was crisp and clear and the emotion is paramount.”

These photographs are part of Ambareesh’s stage photography.

“I like listening to music. Although I do not know the technicalities, I enjoy just listening. I attend these concerts with an aim to shoot. I stand behind or camouflage myself. There have been moments when I got so immersed in music that I forgot to shoot,” he smiles. A self-taught photographer, Ambareesh loves stage photography and has been shooting landscapes, monuments and of late portraits too. “I like to shoot monuments with a wide perspective. Monument photographs tend to become mundane and boring so I am inclined to bring in natural elements like the still sky and play of sunlight,” he avers.

Ambrareesh observes how the etiquette of stage photography is not followed. “Artistes say ‘no flash photographs’ but we see people not adhering to this request. When a flash goes off, it is highly distracting and can make them pretty upset. Also during the first 15-minutes of a concert i.e. during the alaap time, one should not shoot as it is easy to pick up at the click of a camera.”

He is amazed at how photography has grown by leaps and bounds. “Today communication is possible even in remote areas and in the same way photography has gone to the grassroots level. There were times when we would hunt for equipment and even for film; we’d beg people coming from abroad to bring it with them.. First, it would not be available and if available, it used to be horrendously expensive,” he states and adds, “But the outcome is that it is impossible to take a photograph in tourist places without cellphones and selfie sticks intruding the frame.”

The exhibition ends on February 6.