The Performance, a photo from West Bengal, East

Photographer's Note

The jhumur is a regional genre sung and played by the Mahato and Bhumij people of Purulia district. Jhumur contains both metered and unmetered sections. A typical format is to sing the verse a cappella followed by chorus repeats set to madol (a drum) accompaniment in triplets. The lyrics and music most often express the sentiment of pathos, employing a rising statement that resolves into a descending melismatic phrase.
That evening at Purulia Nistarini College, this performance of Jhumur songs were set up for the guests at a seminar. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

Full frame, reinforced, contrast and saturation raised a bit. The halation was kept dliberately.

arnabchat, pranab, AnimeshRay, ac1989 ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

arnabchat (7233) 2006-02-09 5:13

nice take. the dark silhouettes make this look really cool. the light is too much centered.

pranab (5354) 2006-02-10 2:25

salilda,
i see your photos and realize how much i miss india. it's been exactly 16 years since i've heard jhumur.
well composed shot with great care to the ambiance.

AnimeshRay (9089) 2006-02-10 19:13

Well, this is an interesting opportunity. One problem here is that there is really no action going on in the center stage. I understand your intent here is to convey the atmosphere, and this you attempted by using the silhuette of the neat rows of people, the perfectly centered light and the bamboo pole. But the fact is that you fell for idea that you must show the stage as an important piece of object in painting the mood. Imagine for a moment that you squatted lower or bent your knees a bit such that the angle of view was lower. In that case, the empty stage would mostly disappear, leaving a row of silhuetted heads, a central light on a stick--a graphic construction that would force the viewer to fill in the gap in the image--the stage--without having to compromise on the compositional elements. Just a thought.