CHANDIGARH, Feb 22: The tousled-haired boy from Bareta village in Mansa district has come a long way from the days he went to school carrying his “tappad” or durrie to sit on as he sat in his classroom.
The 37-plus Diwan Manna is the recipient of the National Award for Photography 1996, organized by the Central Lalit Kala Academy.
“It’s an award not for me, but for the city and the contribution of my friends, like Kumar Vikal, Dr Oberoi, Naresh Pandit, S.P. Gautam, teachers like Viren Tanwar, Jagmohan Chopra, and Rai Jain is equally important. Raghu Rai’s constant suggestions and advice have played an important role in shaping my sensibilities. My friends and teachers have contributed greatly to my mental development which is reflected in my work.”
Diwan feels that the character of the modern city of Chandigarh has helped him greatly. “A city like Chandigarh which does not have any distinct character gives an individual, who is not bound by any restrictions, a great sense of freedom to grow and develop. At the same time, a certain cultural rootedness is also very important. Culture is not stagnant, it is always growing.”
The award, which carries a generous cash prize, has a deeper meaning for the Left-oriented artist. “More than the money, it is the recognition which matters. Since the award is a reflection of the society, an awardee is always taken more seriously.”
Diwan submitted a portfolio of four photographs of his resent work, his impressions of the West. Two of his pictures centered around his impressions of the museums, where the objects of art were shown in relation to the modern man, who feels that perhaps he would be better off an object d’art inside the museum.
The other two photographs center around the London tubes, where the race against time by man made a strong impression on Diwan.
A 1982 graduate from the Chandigarh College of Art in graphics, alienation has always fascinated Diwan. He bought his camera in 1980 and the first series which he shot – which remain one of his favourites – is the one which he did on the peons of the Art College.
He then did a series on “dhabawallahs”, followed by rickshaw-pullers, all in black and white, and later a colour series on the violence in Punjab.
The boy who everyone thought would become an engineer one day turned instead to art, choosing the more modern medium of photography to express his innermost feelings. What makes Diwan an awardee material? Last year, he was one of the six photographers of the country who was awarded the prestigious All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society’s award for photography.
What makes him an artist in a true sense? “An artist is one who goes beyond reality. The way you look at reality and then create a new reality out of the existing reality through the chosen medium. An artiste must be an aware person.
The age-old perception of an artist as a confused person is perhaps true. The confusion is not because he does not know but because he knows a lot. The artist is a product of his society, his surroundings, his culture, and the futuristic development. The depth and intensity of his psyche is all reflected in his work,” says Diwan, the artist.
Sensitive and deeply-reflective, Diwan Listens to a lot of classical music in his spare time, loves to watch films, his favourite directors being Herzog, Kurosawa, Goddard, Zoltan Fabri, Zoltan Hozarik, Ingmar Bergman, Miklos Jansco, Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, Mani Kaul, and Ketan Mehta.
