The Grandeur Of Smallness
Better Photography|July 2020
Mahesh Bhat on sharing extraordinary stories of ordinary heroes through one of the most successful photography projects, Unsung.
Mahesh Bhat
The Grandeur Of Smallness

The year was 1986 when I visited Delhi to meet a few senior photojournalists to show my work and to know their opinions on becoming a professional. I was still in college then. My journey began as the train trudged down to Palghat from Mangalore, turned around at the Palghat gap, and went northwards. On the second evening, it reached Nagpur, where a woman boarded the reserved compartment with her baby. She was carrying a general class ticket. The coach was completely occupied, and people began to object. She begged them to let her in, stating that her father was extremely ill in Bhopal and she had to go to him. Finally, people took pity on her, and she went and sat on the ticket collector’s seat. As the train moved on, I began munching on a packet of biscuits, her hungry baby greedily looked at the biscuit packet. I shared some of it with the child. The woman started talking to me. She said that she had lost her mother during the gas leak, and though her father survived, he was in bad health. She got a telegram that afternoon expressing how seriously ill he was, and she was rushing off to look after him. I asked her if she received any compensation. She replied that the government had sanctioned her Rs. 10,000 but the disbursing officer had taken Rs. 5000 out of it. “Dus hazar tho mila, magar panch hazar woh log kha gayen,” were her words. I was truly upset at this injustice and it left a deep mark on my conscious. In more ways than one, this incident would go on to shape the kind of work I would go on to do as a photographer. Even the idea of working on the book Unsung, about people who have contributed to society against great personal odds, began to take roots in my subconscious mind then.

Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Better Photography.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Better Photography.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BETTER PHOTOGRAPHYSe alt
Nikon Unveils Its Compact Super Telephoto Lens
Better Photography

Nikon Unveils Its Compact Super Telephoto Lens

Nike ikon revealed a lens for the full frames line-up-the Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S. It is roughly 48% lighter and 16% shorter than its F-mount, weighing in at 2385g and measuring 5.6in x 15.2in.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
OnePlus 10 Pro 5G A Versatile Performer
Better Photography

OnePlus 10 Pro 5G A Versatile Performer

Will the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G surpass its predecessor, the 9 Pro 5G? Nilofer Khan finds out.

time-read
6 mins  |
May 2022
One Nation Indivisible
Better Photography

One Nation Indivisible

Dorothea Lange is best known for the work she carried out for the Farm Security Administration, the Migrant Mother being one of the most iconic portraits to have come out of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Debdatta Chakraborty Wins Pink Lady Food Awards 2022
Better Photography

Debdatta Chakraborty Wins Pink Lady Food Awards 2022

The Pink Lady Food Photographer Year recently concluded its eleventh edition of the contest.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
GoPro Unveils the Lightweight Hero10 Black Bones
Better Photography

GoPro Unveils the Lightweight Hero10 Black Bones

Gilbert oPro's latest addition to their line-up is Hero 10 Black Bones, a lightweight camera built to be mounted on FPV drones.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Camera Breakdown of the World Press Photo Winners
Better Photography

Camera Breakdown of the World Press Photo Winners

For those who are keen to know the cameras award-winning photojournalists use, Photolari and The Phoblographer have shared a breakdown of their list.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Canon Launches Cinema Excellence Suite
Better Photography

Canon Launches Cinema Excellence Suite

Саnon India announced the Cinema Excellence Suite, a unique platform to showcase its range of cinema imaging technology to cinematographers, DOPs, filmmakers, and production houses in Mumbai.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Sony World Photography Awards Unveils its Winners
Better Photography

Sony World Photography Awards Unveils its Winners

Sony World Photography Awards 2022 recently concluded its 16th edition. The grand title winner is Adam Ferguson from Australia for Migrantes, a series of black and white self-portraits of migrants in Mexico, taken as they waited to cross the border into the United States. He will be bestowed with a cash prize of USD 25,000 (approx. Rs. 19,13,082).

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Photojournalist Dirck Halstead Passes Away
Better Photography

Photojournalist Dirck Halstead Passes Away

Colie elebrated American photojournalist pivotal moments in U.S history, passed away at the age of 85, on 25 March.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Photomontage Pioneer Jerry Uelsmann Passes Away
Better Photography

Photomontage Pioneer Jerry Uelsmann Passes Away

Jenaerry Uelsmann, a surrealist photographer and photomontage pioneer passed away on 4 April, at the age of 87.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022