Mangaluru: A rare visual archive of Mangaluru’s past will be unveiled on Monday evening at Tulu Bhavan, where a permanent exhibition of black-and-white photographs capturing the city between 1970 and 2000 has been installed. The photographs, taken by veteran photojournalist Yajna, offer a compelling glimpse into the social, cultural and urban transformation of coastal Karnataka over three crucial decades.

The exhibition, titled Kudla Chitra Darshana, will be inaugurated at 4 pm by Adani Group Executive Director and Chairman Kishore Alva. The photographs are housed on the second floor of Tulu Bhavan at the S.U. Paniyadi Tulu Nadu Chavadi, the nameplate of which will be unveiled by Dr Madan Mohan Naik, founder of the Moodipu Tulu Nadu Siri Museum.

The programme will be presided over by Taranath Gatti Kapikad, president of the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy. A total of 51 photographs, selected by the Art Kanara Trust from Yajna’s extensive body of work, have been curated for permanent display.

Yajna, regarded as one of the most respected photojournalists in coastal Karnataka, documented everyday life, public events, political movements and disappearing urban landscapes at a time when photojournalism was entirely film-based. His work has appeared in several leading Kannada publications, and his photographs are valued for their strong composition, human focus and historical depth.

The event will also be attended by Art Kanara Trust president Subhash Chandra Basu, Kalladla Museum founder K.S. Yasir, Prashanth Kumar Kattemaru of the Kattemar family, senior journalist Anita Pinto, academy registrar Poornima and member Santosh Shetty Hiriyadka, according to an academy release.