Medicos exhibit their passion for the lens

A cheetah pouncing on an antelope in the wilds of Africa, or two tigers displaying their fondness for each other in a National Park in India - these are among a series of rare moments frozen with the camera by some renowned medicos struck by wanderlust that adorn an exhibition here.

Keeping their stethoscopes and scalpels aside for a while, eleven doctors converged to showcase their passion for the lens in the three day photography exhibition that concluded on Sunday at Nandan Hall 4.

Around 55 photographs, bulk of them dealing with wild life and nature, were on show with each doctor having five or so clicks of their own.

According to the organisers Photography Charcha, it was the first time in the city that so many doctors came under one umbrella to display their talent with the camera.

"I have been taking photos for the last eight-ten years in various geographies including the wild surroundings of Africa. This is an escape from the mundane day-to-day life of a doctor," Kalyan Kar, a city-based general surgeon, told IANS at the exhibition.

Among Kar's spread, the silhouette of a tower of giraffes captured in the backdrop of the setting sun - giving the frame a reddish hue - attracted a lot of eyeballs.

"I had to compose this photograph," Kar revealed when quizzed about the work that went behind the magnificent click.

"Most of the photographs here are moments. This one stands out as it is more than that. There is a sense of calmness as the giraffes laze by," a spectator commented on Kar's work.

Then there were two serial shots of a cheetah chasing an antelope and finally getting hold of its backside.

"I had to wait for the cheetah to first locate the antelopes and then prey on one. I knew he had food here. I had no option but to wait for it to attack," Kar said highlighting how much goes into one photograph for these otherwise well-to do doctors.

The photographs were taken in Nxai Pan National Park in north-eastern Botswana.

There was also a collection of six canvas paints by Kaushik Ghosh, an orthopaedic surgeon, trying to create a lyrical interpretation of storylines through amalgamation of unrelated photographs.

Sandip Chatterjee, a neurosurgeon, displayed a lively picture, taken from close quarters, of two tigers showing affection towards each other in the Tadoba National Park in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district.

There are plans to have the exhibition on a larger scale next year and broaden the horizon of photographs. The lack of landscape photographs was palpable and Kar said there would be more variety in future.

--IANS

dm/ssp/vd