Portraits of the elderly
Samar S. Jodha stood in front of celebrated Indian writer Amrita Pritam's portrait in black and white. That, he explained, was one of his favourite photographs.
Exhibition in Dubai mall records the lives of India's aged, reports Sonali Raha
Samar S. Jodha stood in front of celebrated Indian writer Amrita Pritam's portrait in black and white. That, he explained, was one of his favourite photographs. "I do environment portraits, trying to capture the space a person likes to occupy. This photograph says it all. There are her books, her flowers, her portraits sketched by someone who loves her, her writing table where she has done incredible work. She is so comfortable in her own space. That is what the photograph is about," he said.
We were standing at the first floor of Mercato Mall in Jumeirah, Dubai. Jodha, 36, a professional photographer based in Dubai, is exhibiting 40 striking black and white photographs in his show Ageless Mind and Spirit: Faces and Voices from the World of India's Elderly. Every photograph is matched by a quote from the subject. Pritam, for instance, says, "Someone once asked an old woman, 'what is old age?' and she replied, 'The years are like sugar in your cup of tea. The last sip is the sweetest'."
