In pictures: Calcutta in the 1970s
- Published
Leading Indian photographer Pablo Bartholomew recently held an exhibition focussing on his time spent in the city of Calcutta in the 1970s. His work covers a wide range of subjects - from the city's street life, to its Chinese community, to images of his grandmother, to the city's most famous resident, the Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray.
Bartholomew says Calcutta was the first city he encountered as a child. "Being the first major city that I encountered as a young child, summer holiday visits to my grandmother [shown in the picture] were quite an impactful experience," he says.
"Calcutta is still a city that is held by time," Bartholomew says. "So when I was taking these photographs, it wasn't about nostalgia as it may seem like now."
Trams still remain an integral part of Calcutta's landscape. Some 170 tramcars operate today, down from 275 cars in the early 1980s.
Bartholomew spent time on the sets of Satyajit Ray's film Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players). Here, the filmmaker and his wife are seen outside the studio. Ray, who won an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, was one of the city's most famous residents and died in April 1992.
Bartholomew took this picture of a deserted bar in Calcutta in 1978.
His journeys often took him to the slums of the city. This photo shows a mosque located in a dense slum area.
Bartholomew took this picture in 1978 of a homeless woman living on a Calcutta street, surrounded by dogs. A large number of homeless people continue to live on the streets of the city.
Bartholomew also took pictures of the city's Chinese community which ran a thriving business in tanneries and restaurants. This photo shows the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant in the Tangra area in 1978.
Bartholomew says his engagement with the Chinese community was his first effort to "document a community in transition". He took this picture of a Christmas dance in Chinatown in 1978.
The number of Chinese residents has declined in the city as many of them have sold off their businesses and migrated.
A large number of tanneries have also shut down in recent year after strict pollution controls norms were imposed. Bartholomew took this picture of tannery workers taking a break in 1978.