Painter Sanjay Bhattacharya turns photographer with new show

Tired of his canvas, his brushes and his studio, renowned painter Sanjay Bhattacharya decided to go on a trip across India.
He said he was looking for "inner peace", and found it eventually as he discovered his love for another medium of art -- photography, after having painted for over a decade.
Bhattacharya, who clicked as many as 1,000 pictures on multiple journeys, recently showcased a collection of 16 photographs in an exhibition titled, "Na Mono Lagena" (The Detached Mind) at the Visual Arts gallery here.
"My tryst with the camera happened when I was bored of my usual routine. Going through the same routine, witnessing the ups and down of art market, fulfilling deadlines, made me feel like a soul confined within the four walls.

"I pick up the camera when I am tired of the world and I go on a journey in search for inner peace," he said.
The exhibition named after music composer Salil Chaudhary's famous song unravels the artist's quest for solitude as he explores the dynamics of nature and the cultural fabric of India.

"I am not a great photographer. My mind doesn't settle at one place, rather keeps on exploring to find the next source of inspiration.
What began as a practice of merely clicking photographs at family gatherings, soon graduated to an epiphanic moment when he realised that that was not enough.

"Now, I wanted to explore different places in India," he said.
From the numerous photographs clicked in Ladakh, he chose to exhibit two -- 'Silence I' and 'Silence II', capturing the magnificence of the snow-capped mountains in the cold desert.
"Ladakh is about different colours at different times of the day depending on the light," he said.
"Krishna - the flute player", showcases an image of a small statue of Lord Krishna captured in beautiful light to create a shadow, symbolic of the God that embraces one's inner being.
Nature's beauty comes alive in his photographs clicked in Santiniketan in West Bengal, which largely feature "nameless" ponds in the quaint town in Bolpur.

Bhattacharya said he turned to everything and anything for inspiration.
Sometimes he finds meaning in something as mundane as utensils, at other instances, he highlights the different ethnic and cultural identities of the Indian people.
The show was on display till October 15.