Mahesh Bhat is a Bangalore based photographer, film maker independent publisher and educator. He has been photographing the life and times of India for the last 35 years. His work lies in the intersection of society, culture, economics, politics and environment. He has been commissioned by publications as varied as New York Times to Newsweek of Japan – from over 30 countries around the world. His corporate clients include Accenture, Brigade Group, Bosch, Deloitte, Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore, HP, Mckinsey, Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Mindtree and Project Management Institute. He is represented worldwide by Getty Assignments and AP.
He has authored three photo books. They are, Karnataka (1997, Gangarams Publications). UNSUNG (2007) and Bengaluru/Bangalore – In First Person Singular (2012). He has Co-authored two more – Karnataka (1989, Gangarams Publications), Bangalore Scenes from an Indian City, (1994, Gangarams Publications) and Co-authored and edited UNSUNG Extraordinary Lives.
UNSUNG is a project – about people who have made extraordinary contributions to society against personal odds began in 2004. The first book was published in 2007. It has helped raise over Rs.9 million for the causes of the heroes featured in the book. It has sold over 6000 copies. The second volume in the series, UNSUNG-Extraordinary was published in 2016. The third edition was in the form a show Celebration of the Extraordinary Grandeur of Smallness curated by him at the Serendipity Festival of Arts, Goa, 2017
Mahesh was a part of the founding team of Symbiosis School of Photography, Pune and The One School Goa, where he helped write the curriculum for the first 3-year programme in photography in India. He ran the programme at The One School Goa for 2 years. Since 2016 he has been working as a faculty at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology. Post the merger with Manipal Academy of Higher Education, a deemed to be University, it is now called Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technolog . (SMI)
He is a prolific public speaker and has delivered talks and lectures at several photo festivals, symposiums and Tedx events.
He has developed the marketing strategy for admissions for Srishti Manipal Art, Design & Technology It increased the Increased applications from a total of 1300 in 2021 to 2200 in the first two rounds for 3 years Undergraduate, 4 years Undergraduate and Graduate programmes.
⦁ Getting a thorough understanding of the fast-changing higher education admissions landscape, especially post 2020.
⦁ Detailing the strategy
⦁ Hiring partners to design and make creatives such as films, ads for social media and Google search ads.
⦁ Developing the creative brief for collaterals.
⦁ Producing promo films
⦁ Guiding the advertising agency on ad placements across social platforms such – as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
⦁ The efforts generated over 2000 applications for 3 years undergraduate, 4 years Undergraduate, Graduate and Postgraduate Diploma programmes and significantly increased enrolment.
Employment History
April 2021-Current: Faculty at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology
June 2016-March 2020: Faculty at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology
2015-16: Visiting Faculty at The One School Goa
2013-2015 : Co-founder and head of Photography at The One School Goa.
2012-13: Visiting Faculty at Symbiosis School of Photography, Pune.
Writings:
Columns on Bangalore Mirror (on photography) – My columns can be read here.
My thoughts and stories
Essay – Whose City is it? For my book Bengaluru/Bangalore In First Person
Between 1996 and 2000. I published a magazine, a tabloid size Magazine on visual thinking, called LIGHT. Please click here to see more.
Beads in The Necklace of Time, a chapter in The Handbook of Research on the Relationship Between Autobiographical Memory and Photography published by IGI Global (2023)
Books
Karnataka Impressions – 1989
Bangalore – Scenes from an Indian City – 1994
Karnataka – 1997
Bengaluru/Bangalore in First Person – 2012
UNSUNG (Translated to Malayalam and published by DC Books, Kerala) – 2007
UNSUNG-Extraordinary Lives – 2016
Land of the Honey Badger for Nature Conservation Foundation -2020
International Magazines and Newspapers published include,
New York Times
Washington Post
Marie Claire – A story on a female suicide bomber of LTTE written by Jan Goodwin – was syndicated to their 26 International editions.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Newsweek (Japan)
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
Talouselämä (Finland)
Films:
Making of the monkey rehabilitation centre for People for Animals Bangalore
Making of Celebrating the Extraordinary Grandeur of Smallness
A film on Grasslands of the Deccan
Music Video – Leaders of Men for Thermal and A Quarter
Exhibitions:
CLICK – Contemporary Photography in India at Vadhera Gallery – Delhi and London (2008)
Presented UNSUNG at Delhi Photo Festival 2011
‘Re-Imagining the People of India” under the aegis of the inaugural Neel Dongre Grant (2013). This work has been exhibited in New Delhi, Hyderabad and France
Goa International Photo Festival (2015)
Dali International Photo Festival, China (2015)
India Photo Festival at Hyderabad (2015) – Speaker.
Curated the show – Celebrating the Extraordinary Grandeur of Smallness @ Serendipity Arts Festival, 2017 – Goa
India Photo Festival at Hyderabad (2020) – Member of jury for Open Call
2022 – ENDURING LEGACY: Navarasa In Contemporary Indigenous Practices – At Artspeaks India Gallery, New Delhi.
TedX talks
TEDxKIITUniversity 2017 – Stories through the lens of a maverick | Mahesh Bhat | TEDxKIITUniversity – YouTube
Indian Institute of Technology, Indore 2017
Panel Discussions & Public Conversations
Moderated a panel with Anna Fox, Karen Knorr, William Albert Allard, David Turnely at Goa International Photo Festival, Goa
Conversation with Chien-Chi Chang. Alliance Francaise, Bangalore, 2015
Panel Discussion with Raghu Rai and Ron Haviv at Indian Photo Festival, Hyderabad, 2016
Panel Discussion With Claire Rosen, Smita Sharma and Nick Moir Indian Photo Ferstival, Hyderabad, 2016
Conversation with Prashant Panjiar to mark the release on hisnew book That Which is Unseen, Bangalore International Centre, 2021
Link to his talk at Society of Photographic Education – Murthy Nayak Foundation, Photography Education Symposium at New Delhi, Jan 5-7, 2020 – https://youtu.be/WsMnvAvAi48
Link to an interview published in Photo South Asia – Photo South Asia | 1:1 with Mahesh Bhat
Courses taught
Was part of the team that designed the curriculum for the first three year programme in photography in India at The One School Goa – 2012
At Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology (Now Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology) he has taught several courses in photography and design thinking in Undergraduate and Graduate programmes. They include,
For Undergraduate programmes –
1. Contextual Enquiry
2. Digital Thinking Tools
3. Photography Workshops – Digital and Analogue
4. Mentored 7th 8th semester graduating these project of the BDes and BFA programmes
5. Ethical Dilemmas – Engagement & Decision Making – role of the designer in the current times and the future.
For Graduate Programmes –
1. Transacting societies
2. Questioning Success
3. Dissemination & Advocacy – Beyond Advertising
4. Mentored trans disciplinary research projects
Environmental Work:
Over the last 17 years, he has worked to protect the 5000-acre catchment of Arkavathy river near Hesaraghatta, north of Bangalore. After a 2-decade long engagement, the area was declared as a Conservation Reserve under the section 36A of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. This is a landmark in the history of the city, of Open Natural Ecosystem conservation and the known history of the river Arkavathy going back to about 500 years.
Email : mahesh(at)maheshbhat(dot)com