Exhibition of colour photographs in April 2016, called Wander.lens at Bikaner House, New Delhi and Sanskriti Kendra, New Delhi

Wander.lens
Photography exhibition by Sudhir Kasliwal

A powerful visual narrative, Wander.lens puts the ordinary people of Rajasthan, organically captured by an extraordinary eye, to the fore. Beyond the maze of relics of grandeur, the forts and palaces that photographers often find themselves lost in, Sudhir Kasliwal’s Rajasthan is that of the common folk, and the concerns that move them – a village fair, a woman baking her daily bread, a cowgirl lilting homeward.

Picked from his oeuvre built with glass negatives, large formats, 35 mm's, transparencies, digital photographs and every conceivable photographic process Sudhir’s photographs reveal an eye for piquant situations and an impeccable sense of timing.

Through these masterstrokes he often paints the photographic canvas with mystery, drama and an unmistakable aesthetic construct. A camel groaning under the collective weight of a score of scrambling villagers, women drinking water out of leather shoes as part of an exorcism ritual, a mother parked into timelessness with her infant by a running tap are just some examples.

A fifth generation royal jeweller whose family came to the Pink City in the middle of the 19^th century on invitation of the erstwhile ruler, photography for him is a consuming passion which takes him deep into the villages, at times jostling through teeming crowds at folk fairs and often back to his darkroom. Sudhir’s photographs are chiselled gems, each the product of a sharp eye for detail and perfectly handling of the subtle effects of light, colour and design.

In more senses than one, Sudhir breaks away from stereotypes: if there is no enthusiasm to show the glory, there is no attempt to cash in on images of poverty either. There is neither nostalgia nor undiluted melancholia.

In the world of contemporary Indian photography, Sudhir Kasliwal’s work on people of Rajasthan, spanning across fifty years continues to be arguably the most eloquent. Each of these frames serenades the people on the other side of his camera.