We conducted our second #OYOInstaMeet and our first in Bangalore in the first week of December. We chose Pottery Town as our hunting ground, a place inhabited by potters and artisans that exudes a unique charm and remains still unexplored by many. We took up this opportunity and gave young photographers a chance to capture perhaps the most fascinating images of their lives. Ankit Dhame who was at that time travelling to Bangalore decided to lead the group.
Presenting some interesting perspectives about the event, straight from the horses’ mouth.
Shravan had this to say about the meet: “Yeah it was a slightly hung over Sunday morning and I was wondering if I would make it in time. I knew I remembered just a thing that there is a shoot in pottery town. So I put the location on my phone GPS and went to the pottery town and saw that it was just a small area probably a couple of streets and one main road that connected to the other part of town. Understanding this scenario I called in Ankit Dhame and found out that all had to meet at another location and then scoot from there (again that slight hang over I didn’t read the post well which said, we have to meet at one location and start from there). I went to the place where all were meeting. We got introduced and decided how to go and with all the discussions we finally took our vehicles and head to the pottery town.
And slowly we started the shoot. As the activities of the day started the place started getting more active. And yeah the pictures that we took all together came out to be a good mixture of talent and ideas.Indeed, it was a good Sunday morning. I met a few new people from across borders of Karnataka and all in all a good experience. Thank you OYO rooms for this event and hope this keeps happening often in Bangalore.”
As Priya puts it, “Regarding the meet, it was great meeting everyone. Ankit did a great job and acquainted us with rules before visiting the town. A number of people who joined the InstaMeet were less so it was easy to interact with everyone. It is a great initiative by OYO rooms to keep up with photographers in town and give them a chance to explore good places. Hope you organize such activities in future so people who are new to town get to visit new places.”
This was Uthara’s first Instameet. “This was the first ever InstaMeet I went to and I loved every bit of it. To spend my Sunday morning clicking pictures at Pottery Town was a joy. I wish there could be one organised by you every week or at least once every month. Would surely be there. Lovely done! Thank you for this,” she said.
Here is what Supriya has to say, “Pottery Town was high on my list of places to visit in Bangalore and this Instameet was the perfect opportunity. While Pottery Town is no longer in its glory days, what with numerous families moving away from the family business, there is nonetheless a story in its faded glory. The people of Pottery Town are extremely welcoming and were willing to share their stories & dreams and that made the experience all the more memorable.”
Neha has a story to share, “The visit to the Pottery town was a wonderful experience. After the initial hustle bustle, coordination and route finding exercise, we landed in these narrow lanes, which is the pottery town. It’s located somewhere near Benson town and can be easily missed unless you are going there with an intent. As soon as we reached, we saw these series of shops all dedicated to different types of pottery creations. While it’s nothing grand, but these lanes were buzzing with activity. A consultant by profession, I was excited to see the entire life cycle in one place. In the interiors, in one of the by-lanes, was an artist who was effortlessly moulding these clay pots and diyas out of fresh clay. It was a sight to see 3-4 photographers clicking shots from all possible angles and directions, but he was unperturbed and kept on making pots. He, in fact, suggested the best angles to take shots and the best place to click with the minimal sunlight that lit his abode. Just outside his hut, there were series of these diyas and pots left basking in the sun. With the sun rays and the autumn leaves, this made a perfect picture. Then, a few steps ahead we saw this kiln which was used by these potters. And then, of course, were the front facing shops were these diyas and pots were available to sale. Here again, few artists sat coloring the pots and were enjoying the attention they got from us photographers. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring these lanes, clicking pictures, talking to the artists, shop owners and meeting fellow Instagrammers. The passion and love for art were the common attributes that unknowingly connected these artists and us. All in all, it was a great experience and something that I would not have imagined exploring on my own and therefore, going as a part of the #OYOInstaMeet proved really fruitful.”
Jai had this to say: “The Bangalore InstaMeet organized by OYO Rooms was a very good experience. It was a pleasant Sunday morning, with just the right amount of sunshine for photography. The venue of the meet was Pottery Town, a small area in the heart of the city. This locality was filled with several potters who mostly work from home. It was interesting to step into their homes, their daily lives and see these artists at work with utmost concentration: creating such amazing art pieces with their hands. Also got to meet with fellow Instagrammers, some of whom I had known only by their Instagram handles.”
Ashish finally turned up for this, “This meet was a really different one from the previous meets that I’d been to. Especially for the off- steam location choosing. The location was totally new and different to a lot of us there. Though I showed up late, I enjoyed it for how much ever time I was a part of it there. Thank you so much for this meet OYO Rooms!”
Sathish went ahead and wrote his experiences in the form of a blog. Check it out!
For us at OYO Rooms, it was wonderful to see the culmination of such an event into pictures that galvanised our creative spirit. The Instawalk conducted in December is a prelude to the events we plan to do in 2016.
