| Issue 22 Vol I, August 31, 2006 | Archive |
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Through the Eye of a Lens: Profile of a Photo-artist
Here is what Pramanik says, “I met Dr. Bahadur Chand Khanna first in 1996 when I went to hold a show of my art-works at Government Museum, Dharamsala. I liked him and admired his compositions. His photographs catch the momentary subtle mood of his subjects, whether humans, other animals or nature. Human beings are composite creatures with complex emotional states. Portraiture by a photo-artist may capture a moment of naive frankness or a guarded veil, according to chance and timing. More natural the compositions are, better they are in candid spontaneity. Dr. Khanna carries his camera with him often and whenever he wants to freeze a rare moment in the frame of composition, he clicks. Since Dr. Khanna has lived an important part of his life in the hills.
Natural poise of the subjects and not their artificiality makes these photographs a class above the general portrait photography we see in common magazines. Khanna has been careful to the images only with suitable backgrounds, so only when he could create a suitable background he takes the photograph. As a true photo-artist working in the sphere of art photography, Dr. Khanna has redefined the concept of beauty eliminating social hypocrisy.
The landscapes were photographed at or near Dharamsala and are quite striking, emphasizing Dr. Khanna's ability to tackle light & shade on a wide spectrum. Dr. B.C. Khanna has become a loved and respected part of Dharamsala town and the hills. His sweet and pleasant nature has made him one of the most popular persons in the hills there. Dr. Khanna is a psychiatrist and perhaps he likes to capture a glimpse of the inner mind at a special moment through his camera. These moments are very special for him and no doubt he derives great personal joy. This album of his photographs allows you to share his joy.” |
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FOR
years, Dr. Bahadur Chand Khanna, a psychiatrist by profession has traversed
the hills Dhauladhar on foot and in buses to record its various facets of
beauty. His mode is the lens of a camera. A photograph finally turns out to
be a poem. It has beauty, rhythm and colour. He does not craft the subject,
rather tries to capture its natural movements. This could be a person, a
bird, a tree, snow covered hills or moving river. He chose to quit a high
profile position in Chandigarh’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical
Educational and Research where he would have made a big name an went to
joint Himachal Medical Service and never looked back. It was a journey in
reverse for this highly cultures philosopher medical man. Reading, debating
and conversing with great felicity and photography are his passions. There
is a happy blending of precepts and practices. No dichotomy. He does not
need erudite scholars to talk to. For him an ordinary person, his patient or
anyone in the market place is equally good for a deep philosophical
conversation.
In this
first book on him, “Through the eye of a lens - A profile of Dr. Bahadur
Chand Khanna, a photo-artist,” Prabal Pramanik records this passion with
some chosen photographs.
Dr. Khanna
has mostly lived in the town of Dharamsala, where he worked as a medical
doctor. The hill people and tourists visiting Dharamsala are the apparent
subjects of his portraiture. The real "subject" is the mood he wants to
picturise. Dr. Khanna also takes striking landscape images with his camera
and we have included a few in this book. Birds some times form a part of his
compositions. There are certain points of special photographic interest in.
[The way he
has captured different moods, wistful and benign of H. H. the Dalai Lama,
Photography are some of the best portraits he has done. These adorn the
person room of the Dalai Lama in Macleodganj.] A cross section of Dharamsala
society- Gaddi tribal, foreigner, Tibetan refugee and visitor from plains
have all found place in this album.