Amateur cameramen capture soul of old Delhi

Twenty pictures titled `Delhi - Beyond the Lens` capture essence of old Delhi.

New Delhi, July 03: A pair of ice cubes in a glass of rippling rose syrup - the famous rooh afza of Chandni Chowk - looks good enough to drink from the framed photograph in which it casts its rosy spell. Pair it with the sizzling chicken tikka kebabs sputtering on iron skewers in the frame next door. Yummy! The taste, sights and sounds of Old Delhi - especially the area around Jama Masjid and Red Fort - could not become more vivid than those in the 20-odd photographs titled "Delhi - Beyond the Lens" that are on display at the Fuschia Tree Gallery at East of Kailash in the capital.

The photographs are the best of the pick, shot by amateur lensmen who are part of a project called "Dilli 6", a six-month exercise of practical and theory workshops to chronicle the capital and its history. The photographers are a motley lot. Eleven-year-old Vimanu Devgan, a student of Modern School in Barakhamba Road, is the brain and eyes behind a simple black and white photograph of the Ustaad Chaiwalla near Jama Masjid who sells hundreds of cups of "cutting chai (milky tea portioned in glasses)" to his customers throughout the day. "Photographs always look better in black and white. I have learnt how to create depth of field (distance between two objects) from my team leader Sephi Bergerson, who taught us compositions, angles and camera techniques of spot photography in the crowded streets of old Delhi," Vimanu told reporters. Twenty-two amateur participants were led by veteran cameramen Sephi Bergerson, Nagender Chhikara and Bikash Das. A series of three images of Jama Masjid in black and white stood out for their depth, play of light and shade and geometrical precision. "Black and white are the original colours that we see. The rest of the colours are manufactured in our eyes. It is more difficult to click black and white photographs because they are made of just light, shade and tones," Bikash Das, one of the team leaders, told reporters. The exhibition which opened June 26 will close July 15. IANS