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| Framing the past |
| Priyanka Joshi / New Delhi May 03, 2009, 00:33 IST |
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Banker Makarand Khatavkar's fascination with history led him to Harappa and the Wadas of Pune.
Every weekend, at the crack of dawn, Makarand Khatavkar is up and itching to get some work done. No, the managing director and head (human resources), Deutsche Bank, does not crave his office, but his Nikon D300 camera, so that he can head straight to the national park near his house for a spot of photography.
But is it only trees and birds that have his attention? “No, actually my passion is history and documenting it as we see it through what remains of it,” he says. The 45-year-old management veteran embarked on a photographic mission in 2005 and the result is an exhibition. His love for photography goes back to his days in college, which he describes as the time he began learning about pictures on a camera borrowed from an uncle. “I could afford a camera only much later when I started working and bought one from my first salary,” he says, smiling as he talks about his first-ever Canon SLR.
How did the Indus Valley civilisation happen as his debut project? Khatavkar recalls the journey: “After joining Deutsche Bank in 2004, I got an opportunity to travel to Pakistan as my responsibilities included managing human resources function in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.” It was then he took to exploring the famous Indus Valley civilisation and the excavations of Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Khatavkar says he inherited his interest in history from his father, a retired school principal. “My camera took its own course while shooting at Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Not satisfied with just these two, I also traced ancient civilisations in Lothal and Dholavira in Gujarat.”
A visibly excited Khatavkar describes the vestiges of the Harappans and the architectural planning at Mohenjodaro with such passion that you might mistake him for an oddball history professor instead of a senior HR executive. Painstakingly, over the past four years, he pored over history journals, had sessions with historians and compared notes, all the while balancing his work and family schedules. “I haven’t sacrificed family vacations for my research,” he says. Nor does he forget to credit his wife Ashwini. “Her support was critical while shooting, and later during the fairly expensive picture printing and mounting phase,” he confesses.
Coming back to his favourite subject of photography, Khatavkar says his forthcoming exhibition is an attempt to draw a parallel between ancient Harappa and Mohenjodaro. “The Great Bath was specific to Mohenjodaro while Harappa was a well-planned city. But both share features like wells, elaborate sanitation systems and common street architecture,” he asserts, sounding like a history teacher. Whenever Khatavkar went chasing history with his lens, his wife and two sons waited patiently at home. “I couldn’t have dragged my family along on these expeditions, as places like Lothal and Dholavira barely have basic infrastructure in place,” he reasons thoughtfully.
It’s really no surprise that Ashwini Khatavkar calls her husband hyperactive and, like any other good husband, he simply nods his head in agreement. With a chuckle, he adds, “My exhibition is yet to begin and I have already started base work for my next assignment and have ideas about a few more creative projects.” This time, Khatavkar is drawing inspiration closer to home. He articulates, “The wadas (the architecturally distinct and prestigious homes of the Brahmins and Maratha sardars) of Pune are an Indian heirloom that is unlikely to survive many more generations.”
According to Khatavkar’s latest research — done mostly over weekend trips to Pune and nearby areas — wadas or family seats today are fast disappearing. “In another 10 years, we won’t have these classic Maharashtrian institutions in existence and I hope my work would do justice in keeping their memory alive.” He is shooting, he says, all standing and remaining wadas that are primarily concentrated in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Some popular wadas in Pune, like the Vishrambag Wada, which is a three-storied mansion remarkable for its beautiful entrance and a balcony with carved woodwork, typical of the Peshwa period, is an example of where Khatavkar can be seen shooting his next project. “I don’t ever mix my workdays with my weekends, which are reserved for my family and my hobby,” he comes clean. Meanwhile his friends have already charted out a travel itinerary to facilitate his forthcoming project. “I have a few good friends who own wadas in Pune and others have put me in touch with the owners,” he says.
Until then, it’s work as usual for Khatavkar.
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