FOTOJAJS : Issue 3

Life under Cover

FOTOJAJS PHOTO TRIP - A look back

Issue No. 3

Land Beyond Landscape

Darjeeling Heritage Toy Train

Best of the Week: Aug - Feb 4-19

Photo Series - Life Under Cover by Joydeep Mukherjee 20 - 35

What’s Up - FOTOJAJS Calendar 2023 - A sneak peek by Jhinku

Editor’s Column

Joydeep Mukherjee

Afterour last photostory special issue, we’re back with a ravishing new look of the logo and a special birthday issue. We turn 7 this year and the team of FOTOJAJS is geared up to take on the road ahead. This special issue comes with some engaging single shots as well as longitudinal projects. I’m happy that one of my work is also included along with two exceptional works by two outstanding contemporary photographers.

After a long pause, imposed on us by the deadly pandemic, our photo tours have finally resumed to run again after three years. Unfortunately I couldn’t join the very first trip after the break, which happened to take place in the mine for photography, Bangladesh, owing to some compelling reasons. I now look forward to the upcoming ones and hope to be on new trips to explore challenging photographic opportunities.

Thisissue also bears the journal of the Bangladesh trip as seen by the participants. The team that travelled had both ace photographers and not so expert photo enthusiasts. I’m happy to see all of them enjoying and getting involved in the art of photography equally in the trip.

Nowwhile you enjoy this special birthday issue, me and my team will start working on the next one and many other activities that FOTOJAJS has in the pipeline. Hope you will enjoy viewing this issue as much as we enjoyed making it.

Best Of The Week

Since we have a handsome number of followers to our social media handles, we have huge score of photos posted by members of our Facebook group.

© Alinjar Maity

© Anurag Banerjee

© Abhirup Das

© Ananway Ganguly

© Dipanjan Chakraborty

© Deepbrata Dutta

© Arnab Mitra

© Debarun Biswas

Selected from the posts every week, on every Monday of the following week, one photo occupies the Home Page of our website for the rest of the week. Here are the ‘Bests’ selected since our last published issue till the date of publication of this issue.

© Dipanjan Chakraborty

© Goutam Maiti

© Kuntal Biswas

© Mithun Kundu

© Joy Prakash Das

© Kuntal Biswas

© Kuntal Biswas

© Soumyajit Dey

© Sagnik Banerjee

© Susanta Sona Das

© Tridib Purkait

© Subhabrata Roy

Life Under Cover

Joydeep Mukherjee

Burqa, manifestation of a belief that stands as the base of a religion, has always been a matter of high regards for Islamic people. On the other hand, it has been a mystery for those who belong to other religious practices. This dress, covering the entire body, leaves the eyes veiled by a mesh to look through. In Islam, it is believed that both men and women should dress

Joydeep Mukherjee is a Kolkata based photographer. His journey of photography started since 2003 during a trek to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal. From then on, this passion became an integral part of his life. He hasbeen featured in - Photojournale – China , Life Force Magazine –UK, BBC News, Feature shoot – USA, Quint Magazine, Dhodho Magazine, etc. He has exhibited in 5 International photo festivals in India, China, Belgium and Bangladesh and in numerous group photography exhibitions in India as well as diffent parts of the world .

Joydeep regularly delivers workshop on documentary photography in Kolkata under the banner of Click Start From Kalighat aka CSFK and he also is the chief editor and mentor of FOTOJAJS. He mentors the regular photography workshops and photo trips to various destinations in India and the neighbouring countries.

Photo Essay

Joydeep Mukherjee

and behave moderately. Whether Burqa confines a woman and deprives her from basic rights or not is a topic open to debate. Leaving that issue aside, I tried to see the women wearing it as a human being and no particular species. In recent times, while visiting a small city by the seaside, I got a chance to click some photos of women in Burqa, in different moods expressed by different actions and gestures. Though fully covered by this unique dress, their movements somehow connected and made me feel like I could sense their feelings. The way they sat by the beach, on the stones looking over the waves towards infinity, their chirps, spending time with kids, or simply talking to each other – all were communicating in a language never spoken. Standing behind the viewfinder, I tried to capture the small fragments of their untold stories and weave them in a tale that says, live life to express, not to impress.

What’s Up

FOTOJAJS Calendar

A look back

Jhinku Banerjee

Followingsuit of the preceding year, we had this year’s calendar designed and published with two dozens of outstanding photos. Selected through an online contest on our social media handles, we bring you here the 2023 calendar based on theme ‘Festivals of India’.

It has two sides and the 12 pages photos on each side are carrying 12 stunning photos of various festivals of India. Being home to the most diverse array of cultures, India offers the the best palette of emotions and expressions, which is evident in the photos captured in the calendar

Tale Of A Photographer

Indrajit Khambe

interview by Jhinku Banerjee

QWewould love to know a little about the early days of your career.

AI started taking pictures in 2012. Before that, I was associated with one theatre group in the town. But somehow I felt that theatre as a form was not giving me the flexibility of working on the kind of content that I wanted to work on. So in 2012, I bought my first camera and I started learning. There was no one in my town to guide me or whose work I can study and learn. But then once internet connectivity came into my town I started searching various photographer’s work around the world.

Indrajit Khambe (b.1981) is a documentary photographer based out of Sindhudurga, a beautiful district situated near the Goa-Maharashtra border. Since 2012, he has been following his passion for photography and his work is inspired by photographers like Josef Koudelka, Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, and India’s Raghu Rai.

His photographic subjects are rooted in his home state and he has explored various subjects relevant to this region like traditional theatre form of Konkan region, monsoon farming around Sindhudurga, landscape of Hampi and the akharas of Kolhapur.

His work has been exhibited in various Photography Festivals and published in various magazines and publications around the world. He was commissioned by brands like APPLE for the Holi project in India.

Indrajit Khambe

QAnything that still inspires and keeps driving you after so many years in photography?

AWhenI think about what drives me to do work then I realise that the excitement of finding something extraordinary in daily mundane life keeps me inspired. I believe that good pictures are made by accident. You go out in a hope of experiencing something which is worth photographing and usually you came across such a thing by accident. And this possibility of coming across ‘creative accidents’ keeps me inspired.

QYourperception of the Power of still images to change people’s minds.

AIthink it’s not about changing people’s minds. It’s about making them think first. Most of the time my picture carries unanswered questions more than the answered ones. I think good photographs make people pause their minds and force them to think and form their own stories. A good picture always has many possibilities of various stories depending upon the viewer’s mind.

QPlease tell us about your longitudinal works.

AI am working on many projects at a time and I don’t think there is any endpoint. Many ideas run through my mind and then I start working on a few. But I only know the starting point and I really don’t know if I ever going to give a full stop to any work. I think as a human we keep changing and our understanding of the same subject keeps evolving. So I love to keep shooting the same projects year after year. Projects like Pehelwans, Dashavatar, family, and the work I do around the fishing village are never going to end.

QSincewe are based in India, and you have been capturing essence of different parts of the country, we would love to know about your experience of working in the vast diversity of living / culture / religious practice.

AIthink we are so lucky that we live in such a country which is so much diversity of culture and geography. The most important thing for me is how I can step into that culture and document people from the perspective of the people I am photographing. Most of the time photographers are more interested in the location. But I think for me it’s more about the people who give meaning to that particular landscape. I think the location is just a backdrop for the pictures and people should be always the main area of focus.

QWe have learnt that you do mobile phone photography and you also bagged a commissioned project from Apple. What is the difference between the camera and phone photography? How was the experience of working for a brand like Apple?

AIthink whether it’s a camera or a phone camera, the most important thing is to understand your tool. For me, a phone camera works better because I also document in video format. So I think it all depends upon the mindset. Once I make up my mind that I am going to document a particular thing on my phone then I think in a particular way. So rather than confusing yourself between camera or phone, it’s always better to master one tool. I think the phone is always with you and that is the reason I feel comfortable shooting with the phone because I hardly miss the shot.

Thebest camera is the one that is with you when you come across something which is worth photographing. Shooting for apple was like a dream project. The kind of respect and support Apple gives to artists is that something makes these experiences special. I shot for Apple in Rajasthan and the entire team gave me great support and freedom to make the kind of work which reflects my style.

QAs a photographer, you keep traveling a lot. How about your family? What else do you like to do when you are not photographing?

AI always believe that photography is just a byproduct of your life. I don’t dedicate any special time to photographing rather I photograph what I experience in daily life. So in short photography is always secondary to me. In the first place, it’s always an experienced matter. So I just love experiencing life around me and sometimes some experiences I find worth photographing. So you will never find that I not photographing. Every day I go for a long walk or bicycle ride and I try to make myself available to see things that take place every day in nature. And then sometimes I am in a position to make a picture. And even I came back without pictures I get so many experiences that stays with me for a long time.

QWhat will be your message to the young generation of photographers from the subcontinent?

AThe only message I would like to give young photographers is that there is no shortcut in photography. You just need to spend hours after hours and day after day to master the craft. So just keep shooting and allow yourself to fail. Because no one can get there without failure and the more you fail, the more you are going to grow fast.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways

“I

Darjeeling (700 kilometres north of Kolkata) is sometimes called the “Queen of the Hill Station.” Located in one of India’s most beautiful regions, it was established in the mid-19th century and was originally a sanitarium built by the East India Company. Darjeeling has prospered as the centre of a tea-growing area. Today it is home to around 135,000 people. The town has more of a Nepalese feel than an Indian one. There is even a separatist movement that wants to establish a separate Nepalese state called Gurkaland. There is also a sizable Tibetan community. The name Darjeeling is derived from the Tibetan phrase “Dorje-Ling (“the place of the thunderbolt”).

Tanmoy Chatterjee is a travel and documentary photographer based in Kolkata, India. With an experience of more than 20 years in this field, he have travelled across India, documenting various festivals, cultures and historical places.

Photo Documentary

travel because it makes me Realize how much I haven’t seen, How much I’m not Going to see, And how much I Still need to see”

Tanmoy Chatterjee

Tanmoy Chatterjee

Situated at an elevation of 2042 meters (6,700 feet), Darjeeling is surrounded by lush tea plantations, flower-covered meadows and beautiful Himalayan peaks. Nearby is 8,595-meter (28,208foot) Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, and Buddhist monasteries and convents. Sprawled over a steep mountain ridge, Darjeeling is a quaint hill station with colonial-era buildings and gardens. One of the best ways to reach the city is by riding the 140-year-old Darjeeling Himalayan Railway that meanders through some of the most aweinspiring landscapes in and around the hill station.

Riding the Toy Train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) has always remained a coveted experience for tourists. Only a few would let go of such an opportunity. And there is a clear reason why so. After all this Toy Train has been accorded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in December 1999 and the site became known as one of the mountain railways of India. Operating on narrow gauge tracks since the 1880s and providing an important transport link to various parts of Darjeeling hills and lower plains, the toy train is an icon of our heritage since the colonial days and an engineering marvel that was achieved during that period. It also offers a wonderful way of absorbing the picturesque Himalayan scenery as you traverse through the mountains.

It is a journey through the mist. An incredible experience by Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, in short, “Toy Train”. Abeautiful railway track of 2ft (610mm) gauge railway was built between 1879 and 1881. It runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal covering a distance of 88 km (55 miles).

This train runs using six zig zags and five loops to gain altitude and climbs from about 100m (328 ft) above sea level at New Jalpaiguri to about 2200 m (7128 ft) at Darjeeling.

After visiting numerous time in Darjeeling, especially a great attraction of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, I found the craziness on Toy Train (as it is called) as where else can you find a small steam engine pulling mini coaches up the steep mountains through breathtaking landscapes and overcoming almost impossible curves and gradients using sheer engineering ingenuity and creative skills. The snail pace at which the train moves through the hilly terrain is at times so slow that you can often see the local children hopping on and off the train on the move.

Especially after the pandemic due to Covid, this service was disrupted. But now this service is from Darjeeling to Ghoom and people from another side of the world still visit and enjoy this Journey and I hope it does not fail any time as this is our heritage property.

Activities

FOTOJAJS Workshops

A journal of our last trip to Bangladesh

After the most uncalled for break, caused by the pandemic, we started to retain our regular workshops on the genres of Human Interest, Documentary, Travel Documentary and Street Photography; and oh, what a come back it is with a rocking 6 days trip to Bangladesh. We have previously delivered a number of successful workshops, mentored by our editor Joydeep Mukherjee in various parts of India. This time, due to some unavoidable reasons, he could not join physically but he was their online with us, all the way and all the while. After all Covid has taught us how to be virtually present in places.

Alsoa visit to the institution Drik and meet the legendary Sahidul Alam was a great experience initself. It was a pleasure to have a tour of the leading institutions of art and photography in this part of the globe.

Aspecial thank goes to Narayanganj Photographic Club from the core for being the great support to execute the whole trip in Bangladesh. It was a great experience to attain a photographic exchange organized by them at their club premises and meet their members.

Regular practice of photography helps hone our skillset. FOTOJAJS provides regular trips, near and far, for those who are looking for guided photo trips. We have already covered various destinations in India and are now offering ‘All Girs’ Trips’ also. We have such trips coming up for different districts of West Bengal, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Ladakh and Bangladesh. The photo below was taken at Sikkim.

© Jhinku Banerjee

The participants in the trip were some avid photographers such as Dr. Samar Mandal, Nilanjan Ray, Dr. Dhiman Banerjee, an aspiring youngster Abir Ganguly and one ‘not a regular’ photographer Rinku Banerjee, who evidently enjoyed a photography trip just as much. Here we bring a collection of their reap from the trip and also their take on the experience they had.

Nilanjan

Bangladesh Tour - it leaves me speechless, then turns me into a storyteller.

Ray

My first ever Bangladesh trip with FOTOJAJS on 3rd January, 2023 was beyond my imagination. I never felt like a tourist in Bangladesh. Every place and everyone seemed very familiar, cool and comfortable to me. Hospitality of NPC members was an internal and eternal flow of love. My photographs are just reflection of that.

FOTOJAJS ensured that our phototrip to Bangladesh was well arranged and successful.

Dr. Samar Mondal

It’sbeen on my to do list for a long time to take a trip to Bangladesh and I didn’t miss the scope when I got to know that FOTOJAJS is doing their comeback trip, after the pandemic, at this neighbouring country of ours. It was a love at first sight with the country and it sure is a mine for street and documentary photography. The trip was worth it and FOTOJAJS pulled it really well. Though we all missed mentor/editorJoydeep Mukherjee in the trip, but it was nothing less a fulfilling trip as I came back with all my memory cards filled and a strong longing to go back.

Dr. Dhiman Banerjee

Bangladesh is an absolute paradise for street photography and human documentary. Also, the hospitality offered by the people and the food are added motivation to go back there time and again. It was an extremely well thought out and carefully planned workshop by FOTOJAJS. Just the right blend of valuable mentorship, great learning experience and loads of fun. Given an opportunity, I am definitely repeating it.

Abir Ganguly

Asa not socalled photographer, I enjoyed a lot with FOTOJAJS in their last Bangladesh photo tour. In the trip I got an idea how much dedication and effort is required for good photography. Thank you FOTOJAJS for giving me the opportunity to be in their trip. Wish you all the best.

Rinku Banerjee

Jhinku Banerjee

Firsttime ever since the inception of FOTOJAJS, I took a team to an outstation photo tour alone. Bangladesh has never returned me empty handed and so it did to all the participants who joined me this time. I am fortunate to get co-travellers who are not just wonderful photographers but are great team players. Their cooperation is the key to the success of the trip.

Photography Services

SinceFOTOJAJS operates as a conglomerate of photographers, with specialists across all genres in their association, one may fall back on us for any photography services required, from Wedding to Corporate Events, from Photo Documentation to Research and Assistance for Documentary Projects.

Contact Points:

Website: http://www.fotojajs.com/

Social Media Handles: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1697776603827462

https://www.instagram.com/fotojajs/

E-Mail: fotojajs@gmail.com activities.fotojajs@gmail.com

Phone: +91 9674433000

Team FOTOJAJS

Moderator

Social Media Admin

Rajkumar Dey Subrata Dey

https://www.facebook.com/rajkumar.dey.501

Operation Head

Rimita Sen

https://www.facebook.com/rimita.sen

Marketing Head

Debjyoti Chakraborty

https://www.facebook.com/debojyoti02

Chief Advisor

Koushik Chatterjee

http://koushikchatterjee.in/

Editor - In - Chief

Joydeep Mukherjee

https://www.joydeepmukherjee.com/

https://www.facebook.com/subrata.dey.33821

Production Head

Satyajit Bhattacharjee

https://www.facebook.com/satyajit.bhattacharjee.3785

Country Head for Bangladesh

Joy K Roy Chowdhury

https://www.facebook.com/joykroy

Sub - Editor

Jhinku Banerjee

https://jhinkubanerjee.com/