Tricolour magic

How much do you like the colours — red, white and blue? I’m sure a lot and so does Sharad Haksar. Haksar who hails from Chennai is a well known photographer. Exploring the various aspects of these colours, Haksar travelled to Japan and Iceland, the two places which fascinated him since childhood. More than the people and the culture, the pristine landscape excites his mind’s eyes and there he started capturing nature’s resplendence in these two lands. 

Those finest travel photos are now put on an exhibition which the artiste has titled Red, Blue & White. The artiste further puts a logic behind the title of the show. As red and white symbolise the flag colours of Japan while red, blue and white represent the national hues of Iceland, the exhibition is named so. 

80 spectacular images from the collection will showcase the beauty of the two places through the eyes of the artiste. 

Each of the colours which Haksar captured during his travel have a different story. Red offers a rare glimpse of the autumn season in Japan when the koyo or coloured leaves are in full bloom. The koyo season typically begins in mid-September in Hokkaido to the north, gradually spreading to the southern end of the Japanese archipelago in about 50 days. During the peak period, the leaves of the maple and gingko trees turn red and yellow in concert presenting the viewer, a stunning and picturesque scenery, at every turn.

The white series is a visual chronicle of the blossoming of the white cherry blossom or the sakura. Seen widely by the Japanese as a symbol of elegance, hope, sacrifice and new beginnings, the blossom holds enormous attraction in the country. There are over 200 varieties of sakura in Japan and most of them grow to a height of 25 feet to 50 feet with a canopy spreading up to 40 feet wide. 

Blue is an ode to the surreal scapes of Iceland. The enthralling collection of images is a result of the exhilaration and excitement that Sharad experienced as he tried to capture the terrain of Iceland. From the azure crystal caves in Jokursarlon’s glaciers to the black volcanic beaches in Vik, Iceland’s tranquil natural beauty had ample inspiration to offer to Sharad’s creative instincts.