Vignettes from rural life came alive at a special evening held to felicitate the winners of Village Square’s Annual Photo Exhibition, as the Delhi audience were mesmerised by the winning photos and live folk music performances.
The sprawling green lawns of Sunder Nursery got transformed into a ‘village square’ on Feb 11, as Delhi’s art and music aficionados gathered to experience a scintillating evening filled with celebration of Indian rural life. The event, held as part of Village Square’s Annual Photo Exhibition 3.0, was not just a felicitation ceremony of the winners of the pan-India competition, but also a cultural extravaganza. A highlight of the show was the concert by Mookhuri, a folk music band from Meghalaya, who were invited by Village Square for their debut performance in Delhi.
“This entire setting shows the richness that rural India is made of,” said Dhairyata Sharma, a college student who had come to attend the show. “Events like this are important to bring the treasures of villages to the urban audience.”
The musical evening, held in collaboration with Amarrass Nights, also saw performances by Ghevar and Feroze, and The Tapi Project. While the former, who belong to the Manganiyar community of Rajasthan, regaled the audience through their singing and the notes of traditional instruments such as kamaicha and dholak, the band from Gujarat presented an eclectic mix of folk, hip-hop and jazz.
Mookhuri, a four-member band, presented folk rhythms and lyrics from the Khasi-Jaintia community and transported the Delhi listeners to the eastern zone of the country. Thanking Village Square for the opportunity, Amabel Susngi, the vocalist of the group, said, “Platforms like Village Square are very important as they want to promote artists and musicians like us who usually don’t get exposure outside their limited geographies. We are very happy that people in Delhi will get to know that tribal music like ours also exists.”
The photo exhibition, which can be seen at Sunder Nursery until March 9, showcases the 18 best images shortlisted from the over 1,500 entries that we received from all over the country. Judged by acclaimed photographers Michael Swamy, Vicky Roy and Richa Maheshwari, the winning images show the vibrant side of the Indian village life in the Fashion, Food and Culture categories as well as the challenges faced by the rural population, as shown by the best image adjudged in the Aerial Photography category.
Watch: Melodies from Meghalaya
Talking about the contest and the exhibition, Roy said, “Village Square is indeed doing a stellar job by bringing vignettes from rural India to the city residents. It’s an engaging way to connect the two.” Michael too shed light on the experiences of photography in rural India, adding that the warmth and hospitality shown by those living in remote regions adds to the photographers’ experience and helps them capture authentic and unique shots.
Also present at the occasion were winners Nishant Upadhyay, Udayan Sankar Pal, Apratim Pal and Rahul Godase who won exquisite gift hampers from P-Tal, My Pahadi Dukan, Delhi Food Walks, Women Weave and Pugdundee Safaris.
“Kudos to Village Square for organising such a wonderful contest and award ceremony,” said Apratim Pal, who won the prize in the Aerial Photography category. “I am delighted to see the amazing gifts and vouchers,” he added. Udayan Sankar Pal, who won the award for best picture in culture category said, “This event has also brought the photo community together. We win many competitions but the experience of winning this prize was a unique one.”
The lead image shows the music band Mookhuri from Meghalaya performing at Village Square presents Amarrass Nights.
