The prolonged absence of humans and associated traffic in the wake of the nationwide lockdown has provided Odisha’s photographers a never before opportunity to capture nature at its pristine best.
In normal times, hundreds of boats ferry devotees to the temple on the scenic Kalijai Island in Chilika Lake every day. But, when photographs shot by drones made their way onto social media platforms, the island looked like a massive ship floating on transparent turquoise water.
Stunning photographs of the confluence of the Rushikulya River and Chilika at Rambha taken during lockdown have left people in awe. Many got to discover that oft-visited places were actually so beautiful.
The Twitter handle of Vijay Amruta Kulange, the Ganjam district collector, is filled with photographs showing how Ganjam’s places of tourist interest look when humans are not around.
In fact, according to Keerthi Vasan, a young IAS officer posted in Ganjam, the district authorities have been documenting all tourist places during lockdown period.
Professional photographers, videographers and amateur photography enthusiasts have been savouring every moment of the lockdown, capturing nature. Some even managed to sneak out from the cities while strict restrictions were in place and have captured images for posterity.
It is not only nature which soothes the eyes. Photographs of empty arterial roads, city skylines and landmarks have made people realise how beautiful these structures appear without anthropogenic pressure.
“Documenting tourist places with or without people is a continuous process for us,” State Tourism Director Sachin R. Jadhav said, when asked if Odisha Tourism was making the best use of the lockdown.
Amiya Pani, a producer at the city-based documentary agency ‘Light House’, said, “the lockdown has brought an unprecedented tranquility in nature. This time may not come in future. We are tempted to capture everything — nature, people’s struggles and cities — through our lens during this lockdown, but we are constrained by restrictions.”
People with smartphones, however, have been endlessly clicking photographs and posting them on social media.
