Look at Delhi by night

For artist Vikram Kalra, Delhi is his inspiration. For the past two decades, Kalra’s sketches of Old Delhi and photographs of unseen nooks and cranies of the city have showcased its past and present. Starting this weekend is his latest exhibition, Delhi — A journey through Night, an assimilation of 25-odd photographs that give you a snapshot of the city over the past decade or so.

Explains Kalra, “I tried to cover all aspects of Delhi and yet give a feel of some landmark instantly recognisable.” And so you find the Dandi March as the backdrop of a speeding car, the South Extension market lit up for the festival, the India Gate seen through a litter of Bisleri bottles and yes, even the BRT corridor.

One of the most interesting pictures in the collection, is Dragon comes to Red Fort. The Red Fort stands majestic in the backdrop while a toy train in the shape of a green Chinese dragon zooms past in the foreground. Says Kalra, “This visual was so stunning and the political nuances so apt. In light of the incursions in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, here’s the Chinese dragon in front of the Red Fort.”

A Delhiwallah through and through, Kalra says he’s hoping to hold an exhibition of photographs on the Ring Road and of sketches on the temples of Delhi next. “There are just so many things in Delhi, I can’t think of doing anything else,” he says.

The exhibition is on at the Foyer, Convention Centre, India Habitat Centre, from October 7-11.