Recovering Israel, Ritam Banerjee

“Israel to me was conflict, the Gaza Strip and heightened security,” says photographer Ritam Banerjee, who visited the country last November, armed with his camera. His media-fed pre-conceived notions about the country, however, were almost immediately dispelled.

“How people in Mumbai feel and react to the Kashmiri conflict, is exactly how people in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem feel about the tension in the Gaza Strip,” says Banerjee, a Fergusson College photography alumni. But in each of the 21 images to be displayed in Israel Through Indian Eyes, an exhibition scheduled to begin this Friday, one sees reflected a country that is anything but a conflict zone.

For example, a candid shot of a man dressed like Christ squatting on a colorful mat in the street with his guitar in tow and a mike handy, is how Banerjee brings alive the popularity of the thriving trance Israeli music scene. “You see a synagogue, then a church a few blocks away and a mosque a little further. There is no cacophony; three places of worship of three different faiths co-exist in Israel almost everywhere,” says Banerjee, whose photographs have also made it to international newspapers like The New York Times and The Guardian.

Another stark contrast which Banerjee brings out through the images, is how traditionalism and modernity combine to make Israel what it is. This dichotomy is essentially entrenched in its architecture and the lifestyle of the locals. Even in the photographs, one can feel the old-world biblical charm of Jerusalem, and sense the more buzzing and lively spirit of Tel Aviv. “Jerusalem is like Benares and Tel Aviv is Israel’s Mumbai,” offers Banerjee, drawing a visual parallel between the four cities.

“In Tel Aviv, people step out of their homes at 11 in the night, crowding the streets, whereas in Jerusalem, people hit the bed by then,” he adds.

Ask him about Israeli women, and he shoots back, “They are all beautiful.” From women in head scarves, to ones clad in jeans and t-shirts, or those flaunting fashionable dresses, the women here are comfortable in their individuality, as reflected in the photographer’s work. “They come across as being extremely dignified and confident,” remarks Banerjee.

Check out the photographs at Gallery Art and Soul, Worli on Friday. The exhibition is on till September 5.