Some student volunteers take time off to shake a leg on stage in between events at St. Xavier’s auditorium during Malhar on the 30th of August, 2009.
In Bombay, the cinema, the mall etc. prohibit photography within the premises. Government buildings &the railway station, the post office etc. Inside buses &trains too.
&the rationale: political &commercial insecurities.
&at concerts too. Cameras are not allowed into gigs at MMRDA Grounds unlike Wembley &Madison Square Garden.
&the auditorium too. NCPA etc.
&the rationale: political &commercial insecurities.
I spent a Sunday at Malhar in the midst of some 2000 odd juveniles.
Every now &again Malhar volunteers sporting Malhar Tees &chuddies expressed concern:
Are you press?
You are not allowed to make pictures from here.
Only the PRESS is allowed to photograph this event.
No taking photos from the audience area.
Such restrictions coming from the organisers of a popular youth festival are disturbing.
In 1964, Mario Savio &his contemporaries led fellow students at the University of California against universities in America, demanding their right to free speech on campus &this free speech movement is the most significant &successful youth protest in all of history.
&fables about student organisers imposing such restrictions at cultural festivals in as far ahead as 2009 must make poor old Mario roll in his grave.
It is the age of Social media. Of blogs &facebook. Access to photo equipment is less of a hassle. &photography is my right. &yours too.
Cultural youth festivals &the government must encourage the Social media.
Political &commercial insecurities have ruined Bombay’s ancient &contemporary cultural heritage.
&blog posts tagged bombay &mumbai have been on the decline.
&just the odd post about Malhar in 2009.
FIN
Absolutely beautiful…love the grainy high contrast style.
thanks, Vicki.
well, I’m glad you were able to take this photo
Well, I’m *PRESS* at most times
In a world of DSLRs, it’s interesting to note that you are still with the manual SLR! Congrats on a well captured moment
hello, Giovanni. I use both.
It is just that I love using black &white film.
Very cool shot.
thanks, Bearman.
Love your toons.
nice photo man
thanks, Ail.
Hi there. Thanks for visiting my wordpress account! Hope we could make a healthy online friendship
hello, John.
I like the content that you post on your blog.
I’ll be following it.
This photo looks great. I love the lightings! I would have liked to be there and take some photos for my own.
thanks, Deva.
येत रहा. Keep coming back.
The picture is lovely, and I’m also curious about “political & commercial insecurities.” Can you help me understand what this means?
As I see it, the majority of our politicians are unqualified, inefficient but power hungry. Photographs of dirty streets, unclean toilets, pathetic infrastructure, hazardous living and working conditions etc. pose questions beyond them. Restricting photography is the easy option.
Commercial establishments like the mall, theaters and auditoriums etc. prohibit it because they don’t want people using these photos in advertisements etc. for free.
All this must stop. Photography must be allowed everywhere.
Thank you. Now I understand.
And of course it must – it is evidence of reality.
Lush!
It’s all about the thought control! The politicians want you to think they’re doing a good job.
Absolutely.
I love high contrast photography, and this one is no exception. Love the graininess.
And thank you for such a great comment on my blog, being on your blogroll is an honor.
I dont know much about photography..what I do know is that I appreciate any snap that pleases my eyes.
The one that u’ve shared has sure been a delight.Will look forward to more from you
thank you Deeps.
Keep coming back!