Biswajit's Journal

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

India | Saturday, October 16, 2010 | flickr photos

Kolkata, also known as the ‘City of Joy’, is a place where dreams find harmony in reality, where time stands still when it is speeding past, where idyllic moments are crafted with precision, where spirit and vibrancy transcend age.
I had the chance to witness the city grow and change at close quarters. Growing up, it was an integral part of my life. That is why, of all the cities I chose it - it is my Kolkata and I wish to tell the tale of it. It’s the people and the places that form the crux of the city. The five pictures depict five of the most important aspects that the city is famous for - the everyday life near the Howrah Bridge; the cautious laziness of a sculptor as he crafts the head of a Kolkata’s favorite deity, Durga; the jubilated spirit of ‘Dol’ the festival of colours; the open Maidans – home to countless Bradman-Sachin-wannabes – that guard the Victoria Memorial; and the ever-waiting rickshaw puller, who has defeated the acceleration of time to still remain a favored mode of transport. These five elements depict the city in its complete essence: a city that has defied time even as it has moved on.
Each of these pictures are everyday glimpses of life in Kolkata through a perspective that not many perceive it in; because to be in Kolkata is to live in this flow – to move with it; to rise and fall like the waves of the River Hoogly.
After the photo descriptions, here comes the toughest part – why I should be chosen for the scholarship. I’m associated with photography for around 8 years now. All in all, it’s been a great learning experience for me. But I know there is no end to learning. If I am chosen, I suppose, it will be the greatest learning experience for me and I will be happy to share my knowledge with rest of the world.