Capturing the quirks of a city

An ongoing photography exhibition is showcasing interesting images of 1940s Kolkata

A very different view of Chowringhee Square greets the eye as soon as one enters Aakriti Art Gallery, located on Hungerford Street in Kolkata. The photograph shows a series of motorcars lazily making their way down the road as the majestic Dhurromtollah Mosque looms in the foreground. This 1940s image of the famous Kolkata landmark paints a dramatically different picture from the Chowringhee Square of today where human and vehicular traffic jostle for space. It is this and 59 other original gelatin silver prints that create an interesting image of Kolkata of the 1940s.

As part of the exhibition, 'A Yank's Memory of Calcutta', these images also show the observant eye of photographer Clyde Waddell who captured the quirks of the city. Chief photographer with the Huston Press before joining the army, Waddell was flown to the India-Burma theatre in November 1943, which was the Southeast Asian front for the Allied Forces during World War II. With the intention of becoming the personal press photographer of Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, Waddell joined the public relations staff of the Southeast Asian Command.

After various military operations, Waddell was granted earned leave and he returned to what he did best - photography. He began to take pictures of Kolkata after being pestered by friends to capture the spirit of the city. The result was a series of pictures that evoked the glory of Kolkata with its hustle-bustle, great landmarks such as the Howrah Bridge and The Great Eastern, and vibrant traditions, all viewed from the bewildered eyes of a Westerner. There is a beautiful aerial shot of the Calcutta downtown with the Hindustan building and the US army headquarters in view. There are various other telling pictures of snake charmers and the emaciated poor - images of an exotic India that were lapped up by Waddell's friends abroad.

His photographs are relevant even today, as they help construct the role of India during World War II and the evolution of Kolkata from colonial headquarters to the modern metropolis of today. It's no wonder that several of his photos were acquired by Christie's to be auctioned in London in 2008 and 2011.

"I accidentally came across Waddell's album at a US auction after a friend mentioned it," says Vikram Bachhawat, director, Aakriti Art Gallery and an avid collector of memorabilia. He came curious about the GIs and the little-known China-Burma-India theatre after acquiring the album.

"This is an experimental exhibition," says Bachhawat. The show, which began in December, was divided into three phases. The opening exhibition was dedicated to Waddell's photographs, to which images of the China-Burma-India theatre were added during the second phase. The third and final phase packs in a lot of surprises as the lens shifts from beyond Kolkata to the rest of India as well. As one goes through some of the personal letters, containing accounts of the city and its people, one wonders if any of the GIs are still alive. "A handful of them are still alive and are in their 90s," says Bachhawat, showing a Facebook group of GIs and associates. He is the only Indian in the 194-member group, courtesy his penchant for the memorabilia of the period.

'A Yank's Memory of Calcutta' is on display at Aakriti Art Gallery, Hungerford Road, Kolkata