SILEBY PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
held its weekly Zoom meeting on Monday, March 1, when guest lecturer, Helen Willis, presented digital images under the title ‘Foothills of the Himalayas’, which included a visit to Shimla and the infamous narrow-gauge railway.
Her tour began in Amritsar, where the busy street life caught her eye. Market traders filled the streets, selling anything and everything straight out of rough-and-ready cardboard boxes, with people riding bicycles or using horse-drawn carts as their main mode of transport.
The Golden Temple, built in 1604, was stunning to view, and her pre-dawn visit was well worth the effort as Helen was able to catch the lighting effects which served to contribute to the magnificence of the setting. Built from marble at the bottom and overlaid with gold leaf, special rules applied when visiting, which included no alcohol, no meat eating, shoes had to be removed and head covered.
Despite hordes of visitors, the daily ritual provided for a free meal for everyone, sitting on the floor whilst enjoying the hospitality, with the added bonus of not having to do the washing up!
Bustling street scenes revealed some very photogenic characters in their distinctive Indian and often colourful dress. Despite a difficult past between India and the British, they were nevertheless made very welcome when visiting Jallianwala Bagh, and Helen was able to log some great images.
Moving on to the border between India and Pakistan was an experience in itself, and the ceremonial displays which each country undertook daily left no-one in any doubt about who owned their bit!
The guards wore their colourful uniforms with pride, with flags lowered and gates ceremoniously closed at night to ensure that rules were observed at all times.
A journey through the countryside took them to Kharagpur. The streets were littered with old buildings, but full of character and decorative architecture, and overflowed with oldfashioned shops selling anything from the old Singer sewing machines (remember them?), fabric, pots and pans, footwear and food, and even cricket bats. The stall holders displayed their wonderful and friendly character and great images were recorded on camera.
Helen also visited Dharamshala where the Dalai Lama now lives but, despite not appearing to have his photograph taken, she was able to capture lovely images of the church and temple, each displaying beautiful works of art and stained glass windows worthy of note.
During the second half Helen presented digital images captured whilst travelling to Shimla, home to a narrow-gauge railway, lying on a ridge within the Himalayan foothills at an elevation of approx. 7,100 ft., amongst a very scenic setting indeed. The journey itself provided superb material for the camera, as they climbed up and up, with spectacular mountainous scenery, and many temples which boasted beautiful carvings and very ornate architecture.
Local churches took their place amongst densely packed housing, busy street scenes, shops aplenty, with horse-drawn carts providing the main mode of transport for the locals.
Helen described the railway as not a modern one but functional, almost 60 miles long, and built between 1848 and 1903 to connect Shimla with the rest of the Indian rail system.
John Hoogerwerf thanked Helen for a very interesting evening and presenting great images which reflected a different world from the one we’re used to; fascinating.
The next Zoom meeting will be held on Monday, 15th March, when one of the Society’s own members, Patrick Crowhurst, will present digital images entitled ‘Slovakia and the Czech Republic’.
Anyone wishing to become a member of Sileby Photographic Society, enabling access to the weekly Zoom meetings, should visit the contact page of SPS website, when further details will be issued. The programme for the current photographic year is also available to view.