Where schoolchildren turned photographers

A middle-aged man laying out the banana leaves to his prospective customer in Koyambedu market. A woman’s hands giving her lotuses a wash before selling. A woman sitting in the middle of her fruit cart on a busy afternoon. “These people are the faces of Chennai and make the city what it is and come alive,” said Navya Chordia, 16 and Class XI student of K.C. High School. Like her, many schoolchildren who turned photographers with their phone, displayed some of their best pictures at “A Land of Stories”, a photo exhibition organised by the Goethe-Institut and Chennai Photo Biennale (CPB) Foundation. This exhibition at the Government Museum, Egmore, showcases the work of 40 students from private and government schools who were mentored by CPB Prism on iPhones. “I look to capture the emotions of people when I take a picture. This is one of the best ways to turn back to reminisce our memories,” said Navya. K. Rubasri, a Class X student of Ajay Higher Secondary School for the Hearing Impaired, said it was exciting to explore the streets of Chennai and get some of the best moments captured using an iPhone. Gayatri N. of the Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation said the students were taught photo vocabulary and technique and were invited to take pictures of their heritage. The students were not just from Chennai, but from Tiruchi, Nilgiris, Rameswaram and many other places. “We always travel somewhere to take pictures but these artists have shown us that our cities and towns are not only picturesque but also rich with heritage, history and nature. While taking a picture, a photographer reveals something about themselves because they are choosing when to shoot and how to frame, making this their unique perspective that show what memories we value and what we want the audience to see. We can all see the same scene and take different pictures because we all think differently,” she said. Creativity and self expression are what we want to nurture from a young age, Ms. Gayathri said. DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said it was through stories that every society or every race took its history and identity to the next generation. “Every civilization has its stories which will help people identify themselves. History is a story in a way. Photography is a reflection of our life and emotions. Every picture has a different story and shows a different way of looking at life,” she added. Mukund Padmanabhan, trustee of CPB Foundation, said studies showed that distilling meaning from images can help improve writing skills and the ability to think critically. “Photography is not about images alone but serve as a vital part to provide a holistic education,” he said. Karin Stoll, Consul General, The Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany and B. Chandramohan, Secretary, Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments, spoke. The exhibition at the Government Museum, Egmore, will be on till April 17 from 9.30 p.m. to 5 p.m.