Heritage through the lens of students

The platform showcases the work of the students who were exposed to a week-long photography workshop organised by Goethe-Zentrum Hyderab ad and Goethe-Institute Chennai.

Hyderabad: From luminous skies and sunsets at the Qutb Shahi tombs to the quiescence of the majestic river of Godavari, students of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan captured it all. Their photographs, displayed as ‘Heritage Trails’ at the on-going eighth edition of Indian Photo Festival (IPF), explore the rich cultural heritage of India.

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The platform showcases the work of the students who were exposed to a week-long photography workshop organised by Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad and Goethe-Institute Chennai. Over 165 students from 33 KV schools attended the workshop, where they were taught techniques and tricks of photography.

Led by renowned photographers, Saurabh Chatterjee and Amita Talwar, the workshops were conducted for students from classes 8 to 10, in four batches — three online ones which included students from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The physical workshop was conducted in Hyderabad.

“After the lengthy Covid pandemic, which kept us inside and made us reliant on technology, the workshop helped the students to rediscover the beauty of their surroundings,” said Saurabh Chatterjee. “Most of the pictures were captured with phone cameras. I’m really glad that these pictures were selected for the IPF, however, we had to choose 40 photos from the total 165,” he added.

Aside from culture and heritage, the photographs on display depict everything from the stillness of the Godavari River to the changing colours of the Gandikota canyon to the subtleties of daily life, such as a couple reliving the beauty of the Qutb Shahi tombs, toymaker crafting toys and workers at the Chilli factory.

“Qutb Shahi tombs are close to my place and I hardly visited it. I’m glad that through this course, I could explore the history of my city. I would love to participate in more courses like this. I’m also very happy to learn that there was an event for photography for all aspiring photographers,” said Hansini Mandiram of eighth standard from Kendriya Vidyalaya Golconda.

The exhibition is on view at State Gallery of Art, Madhapur, till December 19.