Dr Chandan Mahanta, Dean of Student Affairs at IIT Guwahati
Pictures clicked by him make it to the calendars, brochures, website, and fresher guides of IIT Guwahati. “Cameras do make a difference, but it’s more about being a keen observer,” said Dr Chandan Mahanta, the Dean of Student Affairs, IITG, for whom photography is more than a passion.
Mahanta, hovered by a hectic routine, clicks pictures during his morning walk in the campus. He finds the ‘golden hour’ just before and after the sunrise and the sunset, the most picturesque. “Photography, for me, is an effort to capture the nuances of nature. I prefer clicking pictures against the sun because it highlights the borderline of objects and gives an immensely contrasting image,” he said. He also considers clicking pictures from an aircraft as an emerging genre in photography. The changing landscapes in different seasons are a precious part of his collection of pictures. “I request the airliners to wipe the windows and keep them clean so that the passengers can get a picturesque view from the window,” he said. The Facebook profile of Dr Mahanta boasts of a series of scenic photographs clicked by him from the aircraft. He also likes to capture the emotions of people. During a cultural fest held In January in IITG he clicked a crescendo of emotions which he says gave him an opportunity to explore his inquisitiveness about people, their culture and places.
A picture of the Himalayas clicked by Mahanta from the aircraft
He sternly believes that a photographer should not try to make something so artificial that it looks unreal. Sometimes, students choose to join IITG assuming it to be an ideal place to learn in after watching the campus pictures. He recalled having a student who upheld IITG over other established IITs after visiting the college website.
When PaGaLGuY asked Dr Mahanta about his role in mentoring the students, he said, “The students are very enthusiastic during workshops and event. Recently when we organised a photo-walk to a tribal area nearby, many students came to me and discussed the pictures clicked by them.” Kirankumar Natekar, a member of the photography club at IITG, said, “Despite his busy schedule, he often accompanies our photography club during photo-walks. He helps amateur photographers by sharing the basic knowledge of photography and techniques of operating the camera even if the student doesn’t have one.”
Had it not been engineering, Dr Mahanta would have chosen a career in wildlife photography. He blamed the ‘trend’ for not having a career in photography, “Back in those days, photography was not a career option easily accepted by parents. However, a photography career with Nat Geo or Discovery Channel would have been more rewarding as I always dreamt of travelling to exotic places to click pictures and make documentaries.” Post retirement, Dr Mahanta considers a secured career in photography which is equally pleasurable as teaching students.
According to Dr Mahanta, there’s not much difference between engineering and photography. He opined that both these are governed by meditative values, “You may get disheartened at first, fail multiple times, but with proper focus and dedication, you always succeed.”
If you found this article inspiring and are interested in photography, then you can participate in PaGaLGuY’s first ever photography competition exclusively for engineering students. To know more about the contest, click here.