Deserted Roads, Empty Markets: Hauntingly Beautiful Photographs of Delhi Under Lockdown Showcased at Exhibition

A series of hauntingly beautiful photographs — of deserted crossroads, empty marketplaces and places of worship without their worshippers — adorn the walls of the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre giving viewers a glimpse of a Delhi they have never seen before. A stark reminder of the early days of the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the national capital, the India-Italy photo exhibition titled “Present Absent” showcases 18 works by Delhi-based photographer Parul Sharma.

Sharma has captured the tall columns of the Connaught Place drawing longer shadows in the corridors, a quiet Jama Masjid standing in wait for its usual gatherings, and the posh Khan Market in south Delhi among other iconic places in the national capital. She stepped out to capture Delhi in its isolated self and ended up with over 10,000 photographs of the time when the country was only at the beginning of a global pandemic.

For her, it was either to sit at home and be inspired by other photographers’ work or live the reality of the situation to be inspired.

“I decided to live the reality. It was almost like a warlike situation, going out, interacting with people while not knowing when you may contract the virus,” Sharma told PTI.

“And, I have seen a Delhi not many have ever seen,” she added. A nostalgia of growing up in Old and New Delhi around the vintage photo collection of her grandfather inspired Sharma to capture the photographs in black and white.

“Looking at these photos you can’t say they are Delhi 2020 or Delhi 1950, because Delhi looked like this and there were fewer people back then,” she said. With the “Present Absent”, the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre has opened the gates for public for the first time since the lockdown.

Apart from Sharma’s tableaux of photographs, the exhibition has also showcased nine works by different Italian photographers that show famous squares from Italian cities including Florence, Rome, and Vatican during the lockdown period.

Part of an original project conceived by Marco Delogu, director of the Fotografia festival in Rome, the nine photographs of the Italian squares are accompanied by texts by Italian writers including Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian-origin author Jhumpa Lahiri, who lives in Rome.

“These pictures show places that are very crowded throughout the year. It was only because of the lockdown that we had an opportunity to capture the stillness,” said Andrea Baldi, director of Italian Embassy Cultural Centre.

The exhibition will come to a close on December 10.