April 24, 2010
Amritapuri Campus
 

The photo exhibition, Pixel Lakshya Bhavachitra, recently organized at the Amritapuri campus, saw students, during their class breaks, become captivated by the extensive array of photos, all depicting the chosen theme — Silence.
 

“The aim (lakshya) was to capture through pixels (the smallest elements within a photo), pictures from the mind frame (bhavachitra),” explained the student organizers. Members of the Pixel Photo Club, they were joined by members of the student ME association, Lakshya.
 

The first prize was won by a portrait titled “Unspoken Grief”. Submitted by Deepti Krishnan of the School of Engineering, a profile of a 14-year-old girl caught in a puzzling moment of profound sadness and contemplation, had a lone, long tear trailing down the left cheek.
 

Two entries tied for the second place. “It’s Time for the Soul of Silence,” an abstract study of a four-legged chair, was submitted by Leena of the School of Arts and Sciences. “Sit on this chair and reflect on your soul,” the photo seemed to call out.
 

“Waitful Silence”, the other second-place entry, depicted a Kathakali performance of a death scene. Submitted by Shreenidhi of the School of Ayurveda, it had the performers with downcast eyes, indicating the mystery of unexpressed feelings after a death scene.
 

Vineeth of the School of Biotechnology placed third with his entry of a terrier dog on a grassy embankment; its piercing, limpid eyes conveying a glance of sadness and intelligence amidst a backdrop of the reflection of Amritapuri ashram buildings and Amrita Setu in the backwaters.
 

Standing out in Top Ten Photos division were more thought-provoking studies. “I have no voice of my own … but why is the world silent?” portrayed a ten-year-old boy at a construction site carrying a huge pan of building materials on top of his head, his wistful, pensive face looking off into the distance, expressing the uncertainty of his future.
 

Another winning shot showed twenty decapitated, frondless coconut trees sharing company with two deserted, abandoned buildings in “Beheaded Witness” leaving an impression of stillness that follows after demise. In another photo, the blissful silence of a newborn baby was contrasted by the silencing of heartbeats as a butcher slaughtered doomed chickens.
 

Among the general entries submitted by over 100 participants, themes reflecting silence in nature stood out — plants, animals, the evening glow of a sunset, the peaceful abode of a forest tree house. These and more top-placed entries greeted guests at the exhibition entrance.
 

“The exhibition,” according to the student organizers, “was dedicated to Siddharth, a student who died tragically last year, in a train accident.” Adjacent to the top winners section, photos taken in 2008 by Siddharth, reflected the theme of silence in natural scenes of oceans, sunrises and sunsets, trees and forests, rice paddies and backwaters.
 

Club members also included three photos of Siddharth.