Vintage cameras, turn-of-the-century images on display in Delhi

An exhibition of vintage cameras and some turn-of-the-century images that throw light upon the life of a former Nepalese Prime Minister opened for public viewing at the India Habitat Centre here on Monday.

Titled "Nirvasanama: Portraits of a Life in Exile Through Changing Viewfinders", it presents vintage cameras by The Museo Camera, grown out of the personal collection of photographer Aditya Arya and images from the Bhuvan Kumari Devi Archive.

The four-day exhibition, curated by Aditya Arya and Isha Singh Sahney, consists of photographs, postcards, records, letters and notes dating back to over a century that provide a rare glimpse into the life of Dev Shumsher Rana, who was the Prime Minister of Nepal for 144 days in 1901.

It presents rare photographs of Rana's short rule, his journey to India and subsequently takes up the narrative in the twenties and thirties when his seven children lived in Mussoorie.

"We almost lost these images many times, as various family members would look at these gunny sacks with exasperation. The process of digitisation has also been extremely tedious, because of the meticulous nature of the restoration taken with each image.

"The foundation did a brilliant job, and that is why we can take this collection to the public now," co-curator Sahney, who is related to Rana's family, told IANS.

The Museo Camera collection, also displayed at the exhibition, consists of around 150 iconic cameras from the tiniest to the oldest, tracing the evolution of technology from the 19th century to early 20th century.

The exhibition is open for public viewing till August 24.

--IANS

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