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Urban Reflections” and “Vanishing Bombay” marks a significant departure in the professional career of well-known photojournalist Chandu Mhatre. After shooting all major news events unfolding in India in the past four decades, he has lately been focusing on what can be characterized as fine art photography. Although the pictures that form ‘Urban Reflections’ are primarily motivated by artistic considerations, they also tell the heart of the urban story of Mumbai.

 

Based in New Delhi and Mumbai, India, Mhatre has worked for a wide variety of international media groups and global organizations. Chandu’s pictures have been extensively used by UNICEF, UNDP, United International Press, Associated Press, Reuters News Agency, Fortune, Forbes, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, Geo, The Times London, The Independent, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Marg Publications, CBS 60 Minutes, Debonair, India Today, Bombay Magazine, The Illustrated Weekly of India, Onlooker, Outlook, Mirror, Imprint, The Times of India, Indian Post and The Indian Express.

Additionally, Chandu documented Portuguese history in Goa for the Institute of Cultural affairs in Macau, Government of Portugal. He photographed a book on “Warli Art” for Lalit Kala Akadami. He has also researched and worked with CBS 60 Minutes for their programs on India, 50 years of IIT, AIDS, Medical Tourism and Bikram Yoga.

 

Chandu was a close friend of Philips Jones Griffiths, Magnum photographer, and worked for a documentary on him in 1999 for Wales Television, the United Kingdom. Chandu was assistant photographer “BOMBAY”, the Time and Life series Great Cities of the World. He had an exhibition on "Bombay" in 1980 in Mumbai and Delhi. He has contributed to several exhibitions out of India. He has been teaching and holding photo workshops for the last 20 years at Industrial Design Center Indian Institute of Technology, Powai, Mumbai and other institutions. He has had photo workshops for Canon India on “Street Photography”.

 

He also specializes in fine art photography and archive exhibition photo printing for which he has set up his own printing unit. At present he is working on photo features and projects in India on human, social and environmental issues. He has set up a group "Vanishing Bombay ~ Documenting the heritage of Mumbai" which is recording the change in city of Mumbai.

 

‘Urban Reflections’ is a result of Mhatre’s many journeys through Mumbai to chronicle how the city has changed under the impact of globalization and economic liberalization. The attempt has been to capture the city far from its stereotypical images and give them a touch of fine art photography.  Mhatre has plans for other series in this genre of photography.