Night shift

No more a rustic outpost, no more the badland of UP; Noida dons the hat of a photographer's muse

Noida, the diligent cousin of Delhi, works itself into an urban frenzy to emulate the latter during the day. But as darkness falls, the concrete constructions, the symmetrical electric poles and parched wastelands attain a lyrical life of their own.u00a0 An on-going photo exhibitionu00a0-- Noida Soliloquyu00a0-- by debutante Dhruv Malhotra captures these milestones of a bustling township while they masquerade as poetic muses for his camera.u00a0


Behenji on guard: In the dead of the night Mayawati's statues stand vigilant

After dark
The 51 untitled photographs capture Noida unaware when it's naked without its inhabitants during the hours of darkness. The crammed flyovers, dingy alleys or lively petrol pumps once devoid of human presence at night comes alive. Most of the photographs shot under harsh tungsten lights of street lamps burst out into loud shades of yellow, orange and green. The pictures have been captured patiently through long exposuresu00a0-- some even lasting 40 to 45 minutesu00a0-- coaxing out the mysteries of darkness into an almost day-like surreal experience.

Sleepless in Noida
A self-confessed insomniac, 24-year-old Malhotra, started prowling the streets of Noida in 2007 with his camera. An auto driver, who drove him around all night, kept him company. "The longer you stare into darkness, your eyes adjust to it better. Now, try gazing into it through a camera and a whole new world opens up," says the man who claims he never travels anywhere with out his Mamiya RZ67.u00a0

"At night one actually gets an opportunity to understand how human existence changes landscapes and yes, when nobody is looking at me I'm more productive," explains Malhotra. The first timer is not only happy that his work has gotu00a0 decent appreciation that he had dreamt of, but the exhibition born out of insomnia is also going to Hyeres Festival in France this month. But it wasn't an easy ride, he confesses, "Cops gave me one hell of a time. They told me not to come running to them if I ever landed in trouble."u00a0 He then immediately shares another anecdote, "I once had to scale an eight feet high wall to take a photograph, since it was a long exposure shot, it really took a long time. By then, my auto driver had snoozed off on the other side of the wall. So I was literally stranded until he woke up."

Bedtime stories
You might not know of Gyula Halasz better known as Brassai, the famous Hungarian photographer who seized Paris by the night through his lens, a man whom Malhotra perhaps seeks his inspiration from. But Noida Soliloquy is worth a dekko for its sheer story telling ability. You'll find UP CM Mayawati's statue shrouded in jarring blue tarpaulin and a star trail above as if the cosmic bodies actually stopped a second to notice her kingdom.u00a0 And then there is a dustbin shaped like a rabbit gazing at an empty lush green park. As it stands aloneu00a0 guarding the park night after night,u00a0 one can't stop but wonder what does the bunny actually have on its mind.

Noida Soliloquy
Where: Photoink Gallery, Jhandewalan, Delhi
On till: June 12
Ring: 011-28755940
Timings: 11am to 7 pm (weekdays) 12 am to 7 pm (Sunday)