An ode to the sea
Alot of people are inspired by Mumbai’s long coastline and more often than not, thousands of people line up at the various promenades to pass time. City-based photographers Prakash Dudhalkar and Vaibhav Jaguste dwell on this very feeling. But, instead of exploring the emotions, they take to the water to showcase the beauty of the moment the waves meet the rocks, in the ongoing photography exhibition titled Rocks and Waves at the Jehangir Art Gallery. “Rocks are strong and stable and waves are soft and flexible, but when they come together they increase the beauty of each other. I have been attracted to waves for the last seven years and have been working on the theme since then,” says Prakash, speaking about the inspiration behind the expression. While the former government employee focussed on the waves, his close friend Vaibhav was simultaneously capturing the different natures of rocks over the last five years.
Interestingly, always being inclined towards nature and bird photography, he has also co-authored a book about trees called, Sen ‘Trees’ of Mumbai, and published by the Centre for Extra Mural Studies, Mumbai University. Being a photographer for 20 years now, Prakash has explored a variety of themes in photography but turned towards pictorial photography to capture waves as it intrigued him in more ways than one. “Rarely do rocks catch our attention unless an artist has used them as a canvas to create a sculpture. It is the subtle dance of light and shadow in the humdrum of life around it, which leaves us nothing but spellbound and entices us at the same time,” says the 65-year-old hotographer while mphasising that it is also a study of strength and calmness. On the other hand, he says that waves are just like the human mind as there are “small waves of intense and heedless passion which are constantly rising in people’s minds.”
After spending his time capturing waves, Prakash is now on to his next project, which he hasn’t started yet, but he really wants to work on the changing lifestyles in rural India.