Bengaluru goes a-polling

Radha Datta | May 16, 2018


#Karnataka   #Elections   #Narendra Modi   #Assembly Polls   #Karnataka   #Bengaluru  


The above picture was shot in a slum near Neelasandra. It’s a Muslim-dominated area where people have been fervent Congress supporters. They were enthusiastic about being photographed. Luckily, I was able to get a candid shot of a father-daughter duo trying to find the right pose to get the perfect poster shot. What strongly came across was ‘the Hand’. Here was a father trying to tell his daughter how she should hold up her hand and pose in a certain way. It was a classic example of how political loyalties are passed down to the next generation without the latter realising and understanding the intricacies involved. As if caste, religion and stereotypes weren’t enough, we are now being born labeled with a party stamp.

 

A two-in-one portrait of Dr Ambedkar, the ‘Voice of the oppressed’, is positioned above two people in a magnanimous light. It’s almost tragic that he’s looking in another direction and avoiding eye contact from his people. The neighbourhood – Malleshwaram, not far from the BJP media centre – is home to the lower-income group but is sandwiched between a mall and one of the swankiest localities of Bengaluru. I tried to bring out that contrast out with a tight frame.

 

The little kid at one point had so many scarves in his hand that he found it difficult to keep them safe and in one place at the same time. He copped a squat away from the rally, quickly assembled all the bands and ran back to his rightful place in the rally.

 



Being a huge ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ fan, when I was forming this frame, the theme tune was thumping in my head. The man and his tribe! Booths like these were set up in a lot of areas where one could hear the PM speak.

 

Next to rallies, auto-rickshaws provided the most preferable option to reach out to the voter. Every party deployed them. I spoke to some auto-wallahs who told me they worked in shifts for different parties. One could be driving around for the Congress in the morning, and the BJP in the evening.

Comments

 

Other News

How to leverage AI to solve urgent global issues

The world seems to be hurling towards World War III in all the possible scenarios: hot war, cold war, and proxy war. The battleground seems to have expanded beyond physical to digital or virtual/mixed reality with technology like drones. Moreover, the line between civilian and military targets seems to hav

Budget: Progress towards SDGs and areas for improvement

The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines India`s vision for economic and social growth while also reflecting the country`s commitment to sustainable development. As India moves closer to the 2030 deadline for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this budget presents a balanced approach

Repo rate cut by 25 basis points to 6.25%

The Reserve Bank of India has, for the first time in five years, reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.25% with immediate effect. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate will stand adjusted to 6.00% and the marginal

Amitav Ghosh’s new work: Connections between the word and the world

Wild Fictions: Essays By Amitav Ghosh HarperCollins, 496 pages, Rs 799.00 Amitav Ghosh, one of a handful of Ind

How markets can help (and also hinder) fight against pollution

In the annals of environmental policy, few ideas have been as transformative as the Emissions Trading System (ETS). Born from the minds of economists in the late 1960s, this market-based approach to pollution control has evolved from a theoretical concept to a global tool in the fight against climate chang

Will Bihar complement the resolution of Viksit Bharat 2047?

As India completes its diamond jubilee as a republic, I am reminded of a statement by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, delivered during an address to the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in Patna on March 28, 2006. He said, “I have visited Bihar numerous times, and it has always been a source of happiness for me to

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter