Posts Tagged 2012

Shot on a crazy day and edited on another crazy day! And MoMA turned this way!

Kanakkarayi, the rustic village man stood in the rain after his Onam duty to bring down a bountiful jackfruit from the yard. On one more photo, the happy man separated the fruit and its fibers, otherwise an arduous process.

Two years ago while passing through one of the northern Kerala districts, I had the first glance of a hand painted Sreenivasan. It was one of the most unexpected hand painted mollywood star finds for several reasons. Even when the integrality of Sreenivasan in Mollywood is unquestionable, a hand painted Sreenivasan on a second thought could never in my mind sell gold or opticals unlike his superstar peers.

Two years later, on a moment’s spark, I decided to find if the painting still exist and how Sreenivasan associate to that wall. I was right on time before Piyus – the owner of the Sreenivasan wall would give a white wash make over to his graphic art agency filled with brush strokes and sample sketches. I felt at peace on the recognition – Sreenivasan indeed was not selling jewellery!

Piyus associate himself with a generation of painters who gloriously filled the shutters and hoardings of Kerala by hand painting. He remembers those years of his career when he painted a shutter spanning several days for 4000 rupees, not that long ago. To my surprise he doesn’t own a mail account, while he operates a computer aided flex board business for which he earns 5000 rupees in a few hours’ time unlike his earlier days.

Did I evoke memories of his painting days? He reminded me to visit him again when he finishes a hand painted store front project came amidst all the flex boards. Looking back, Sreenivasan devoid of his faded tones majestically overlooked the street in his usual perplex that not even the glossiest paints could hide!

You will find more hand painted Mollywood stars here.

A photo that was taken back in 2008 while traveling in Punjab that rusted in my memory got a new lease of life as Brandon Hoops of Ethno | Traveler noticed it from afar. We had a long chat about the story behind the shot and challenges for women documentary photographers in India. He has published a small interview in Ethno | Traveler that talks stories from the cultural cross roads of the world.  Read it here.