Chandigarh Newsline- Indian Express
10/06/1995 , By NONIKA SINGH
NONIKA SINGH talks to Diwan Manna, who is both an artist and a photographer.
A RIOT of flarning orange and fiery reds, in the foreground a woman sitting on a bench brushing dust off a lifeless crow in the hope that the crow, messenger of love since times immemorial, would come to life and take her message across to her lover, who is no more! Hope amidst despair! …..
As one feasts one’s eyes on this work of art one wonders if the creation is a painting or a
photograph… or it is both? Just as one fails to comprehend if its creator, Diwana Manna, is an artist or a photographer.
Though in art circles Diwan has made a name for himself as a photographer, but he is
not content in just capturing or freezing the moment. “Agreed, that a good picture in the sense of being a ‘frozen moment’ of time requires special skill, but still it is a mere documentation of facts,” says he. “A photograph, ideally, should be a piece of art and must convey more than the obvious. It should provoke the viewer and invoke him to probe and introspect.” Herein he cites the work of his role model – renowned photographer Raghu’s Rai. “Many accuse Raghu of distorting truth. Take for instance. Rai’s famous photograph of a sweeper sweeping away Indira Gandhi’s election posters and dumping them into a dustbin, after the news of her defeat. In all likelihood Raghu must have arranged some parts of it. But the message was blatantly clear – a woman of Indira Gandhi’s stature was humbled by ordinary mortals.”
On photography in general Diwan syas, “Many photographers are confused regarding the subject and the object. I feel that a photographer’s vision should be considered as a subject rather than what is actually being clicked.” Diwan’s photographs are preconceived. For days ideas brew in his mind, and he arranges a photo session only after the ideas take a concrete shape.”
In most of Diwan’s pictures the backdrop is a painting, for example in one picture he uses a painting by local artist Raj Jain in the background, a model with her face painted in poster colours sits in the front. These pictures are clicked with proficiency and then developed on slide film with a special skill to produce a breathtaking result. They have a transparency effect.
A series of his photographs (a work which be had started way back in 1984) portrays violence – an inextricable aspect of our present sociocultural milieu. Argues Diwan who grew up amongst a large number of womenfolk, many of whom were widows, “Though, at the face of it, violence is aimed at men, women are the ultimate sufferers. As a child, I saw there was little empathy towards widows. This seems to have affected me subconsciously.” Only to emerge later in a series of his work that shows widows, sharing grief, consoling each other, clutching on to their progency – a crumbling wall in the background as if symbolizing the breaking up of social structure.
With his above series Diwan won tremendous acclaim. As a participant for South Asian Visual Arts Festival his photo prints were exhibited at Wolverhampton UK, in 1993. Initially selected as part of six-member group, he was chosen for a one-man-show. Later his works were made into a touring exhibition which traveled to ten cities of UK. Diwan reminisces, “I was overwhelmed at this offer. While in India you have to book a theatre on your own, organize publicity, etc., the Light House Media Centre in UK was not only willing to undertake all responsibility but also pay me a handsome renumeration.
During his trip to UK Diwan struck an instantaneous rapport with Britons and held 10 multimedia workshops for school children. In Chandigarh too Diwan held a seven - day acting. Painting, photography workshop at the Chandigarh Press Club for children in
3-7 age group.
Diwan hails from village Bareta (Punjab). Rivers, tres, fields were a part of Diwan’s childhood. So were the writing of Chekov, Hemingway and Dileep Kaur Tiwana. As a small boy when he baked and created an array of toys, his skill was identified by his family members as an aptitude for engineering. It was only after he failed to clear his Class XI despite two attempts that he enrolled himself as a student of Graphic Art at the College of Art. Chandigarh. Simultaneously began his romance with acting.
Besides acting in a mumber of stret plays, Manna has acted in a TV film “Disturbed Area”, based on G.S. Channi’s street play. He has also directed documentaries on Indian classicial dance forms. “Actually I wanted to be a cinematographer” and just when he was all set to go to Germany for a course in cinematography family circumstances intervened –Few years later opportunity knocked his door again, but by then Cupid had stuck. Diwan was madly, passionately in love. And for once the demarcation between the subject and object was blurred.
Slowly he got out of his infantuation and life became normal. At 37 Diwan hasn’t ruled out marriage though he is happy to be by himself, “Right kind of relationship can certainly help you grow. Marriage does have its own charm for otherwise why would men of eminence succumb to it”.
For many years Diwan worked as a chief photographer for NZCC and photographed significant functions such as Apna Utsav, etc. Currently, he is freelancing. Industrial photography is his forte. With his creativity he transforms the walls of polluted, dusty factories into pleasant interiors.
In his work, Diwan reacts to those who are close to him. He has done a series of photographs on dhabawalas (which might appear in a book) and rickshawalas (his usual mode of transportation). The tonal quality, texture, contrasts of black and white and its different hues is Manna’s leitmotif. “Colours,” he claims, “are not defnite and can acquire new meanings when juxtaposed with different colours.”
Todate, Diwan has held several exhibitions. His photographs of Taj Mehal were exhibited in 1994 at La Route des Endes Paris and in 1995 AIFACS organized a photo show at New Delhi. Besides Diwan has wom several awards – at the All India exhibition of photo prints and art Shimla, National exhibition of photographs by NZCC at Delhi, Jaipur, Patiala and more recently AIFACS ie. All India Photo Exhibition by All India Fine Art and crafts society. Real appreciation has come from buyers who have been willing to shell out huge sums for his works. While his 30 x 40 photographs commands a price of Rs 20,000, smaller sizes sell for 7000 Rs. or so.
Catering once again to the select commissioners of art is his latest work (shot in the British museum). Contrasting past and present, depicting man’s obsession with the past at the price of present, where past becomes larger than life dominating and threatening the present. Yet another series shot at UK metros questions the mad pace of our lives. While the residents of city beautiful shall be able to watch his collection soon, the same photo prints will be a part of one man show in west Yorkshire in year 1996.
“Recognition, professes Diwan, “is vital and a feed back, essential for an artist to grow. Money, however, is incidental and not the prime mover.” Nor is he averse to teaching his techniques to others? “Just as long as they can watch and learn and not intrude upon my space”, is the prompt answer.
