Amateur photographer Shantana Deka Dutta has won Indian Link’s annual Independence Day Photography Contest #myIndianlink this year.
Her snapshot of the picturesque Chail hills in Himachal Pradesh viewed from the ramparts of the Hindu temple Kali Ka Tibba won the judges over.
Pranab Basak took the second place with his image of rural students in a learning environment filled with joy.
Shantana and Pranab take home cash prizes worth $200 and $150 respectively.
146 entries made it to this year’s competition. The annual photography contest held by Indian Link to coincide with Independence Day, #myIndianlink seeks images from participants that display their link to, or a feel of, India.
Entrants use the #myIndianlink hashtag to post their photographs on social media, or email them directly.
“I’m surprised and so happy to have won this contest,” Shantana told Indian Link. “Looking at the expanse, the serenity of the architecture blended with nature brought a sense of freedom while taking this photo.”
The juxtaposition of the built and natural environments in the image makes for a fascinating composition. The rays of the morning sun highlight the pleasing colours wonderfully – the white and black of the marble, the blue of the sky, and the lush green of the hills in the distance. The bright colours in the shrubbery demand your attention as they lead up to the redness that pops from the roof tiles on the left.
Yet it is the curvature in the foreground, with its sense of elegant movement, that is the most striking aspect.
Together, these textures, shapes and colours make Shantana’s image visually arresting, evocative of a sense of harmony and tranquility.
(Perhaps the judges, in their search for a ‘feel’ of contemporary India as a prerequisite in this contest, were referencing a quietening down of the heightened chatter that marked the election months of this year).
The beautifully maintained temple is said to have been founded in the 9th century AD, and rebuilt in the 19th century by the King of Patiala. The pristine landscape in which it sits, is made up of pine and deodar trees characteristic of the Shivalik Mountain Ranges of the lower Himalayas. The terraced farms catch the moonlight at night, glistening like ‘silver bangles’ according to folklore. In fact, the highest peak here, visible from the temple, is called Choor Chandni, Hindi for ‘filled with moonlight’.
The region is a trekker’s, camper’s and wildlife photographer’s paradise, as Shantana discovered while there.
“It was a trip away with my two daughters and a girlfriend, and we camped in the jungle,” she recalled. “The gentle climb up to the temple was wonderfully uplifting, and the 360-degree view of the hills from atop, truly rejuvenating.”
Shantana is a self-taught photographer, who took out her amateur photographer husband’s extensive (and expensive) gear as it lay unattended while he worked long hours.
“We travel a lot, and so I put his cameras to good use! I’m drawn to nature photography, but I’ve also taken to creative portraiture recently.”
Pranab Basak on the other hand, gravitates towards the human experience, particularly in rural India.
“I love that these regions are clean, the people are innocent and genuine, and the lifestyle is uncomplicated,” he told Indian Link.
On his most recent travels out of the city, he found himself in remote West Bengal, photographing the people as they went about their daily routines in farming and related endeavours. The sounds of children laughing with joy in a tiny school beckoned, and he asked the head teacher if he could take some pics.
“He welcomed me in, and I spent a happy hour with the kids there,” Pranab recounted. “I’m passionate about girls’ education in remote India, and it was great to see many girls at school.”
He sat in on a lesson on continents, with a globe as a teaching prop that caused much merriment when it lit up.
“Now you know why I call this pic ‘Wonder World’.”
His image captures beautifully that learning can be a joyful – and powerful – experience, and that school can be a safe and happy space.
“I was happy to see that the young students were filled with curiosity, asking to see my pics and showing an interest in my camera and its workings,” Pranab smiled.
Pranab had taken out the main prize in last year’s Indian Link Photography Contest, once again an image from remote Central India showcasing care and protection of young women.
Popular submissions this time round, like every year, involved monuments, images of worship, and kids at play, as well as snapshots of the beloved tricolour in a variety of settings.
Rural scenes, water-based activities, landscapes and mountainscapes, portraits and scenes of religious harmony were plentiful too.
New trends this year were images of dance – folk and classical, and some stunning shots of wildlife.
Chec out our shortlist below.
READ MORE: Image honouring women wins Indian Link photography contest
