Portfolio | Photo Mail

Walls of Expression: Posters as Public Discourse in Kannur

PhotoMail — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 09:03:19 +0000

In Walls of Expression, Akhila Krishnan explores the vibrant visual landscape of Kannur, where posters transform walls into communal storytellers. The study highlights how Theyyam festival and election posters serve dual roles: cultural preservation and political engagement. These images, rich with symbolism and public discourse, reveal Kannur's unique synthesis of sacred tradition and contemporary politics, embodying a visual narrative where heritage and progress coexist in a complex, dynamic dialogue.

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A pale blue dot and a few other thoughts | Joyel K Pious

PhotoMail — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 07:11:22 +0000

The article explores four significant space photographs that have shaped our understanding of the cosmos: Voyager 1's "Pale Blue Dot" showing Earth as a tiny speck from billions of kilometers away, Venera missions' first images of Venus's hostile surface, Spirit rover's bluish Martian sunset, and James Webb Space Telescope's "First Deep Field" revealing thousands of ancient galaxies. Through these images, Pious weaves together themes of human curiosity, technological innovation, and our place in the universe, while noting that these photographs gain their significance not from aesthetic appeal but from their historical, philosophical, and scientific importance. The piece begins with the author's childhood memory of a science fiction story and ends contemplating our place in the vast cosmos, highlighting how space photography has transformed our perspective of reality.

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Before The Death Throes | Metabolism of Culture

PhotoMail — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 05:13:55 +0000

This chapter explores how ancient and modern cultural practices shape collective identities. It examines how schismogenesis—social divisions based on inherited beliefs and rituals—continues to inform both individual and societal behaviors. The analysis centers around Abul Kalam Azad's photograph depicting a moment of calm anticipation before a sacrificial ritual, inviting readers to question the interplay of tradition, ritual, and evolving identities. Through Azad's lens, the chapter reflects on how historical practices remain embedded in contemporary culture, highlighting their ongoing relevance to power, identity, and belief systems.

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Fredric Jameson (1934-2024)

PhotoMail — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 06:37:07 +0000

Fredric Jameson, the prominent American literary critic and Marxist theorist, passed away on September 22, 2024. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1934, he made groundbreaking contributions to critical theory, particularly through his Marxist interpretation of culture. Jameson's most influential work, Postmodernism, Or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (1991), explored how social transformations were reflected in postmodern art, particularly in mass culture's commodification. Though his work delved deeply into the intersection of art and capitalism, Jameson is especially noted for his analysis of photography’s role in postmodernism, addressing themes of simulacra, reproducibility, and mass culture.

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Beyond the mainstream: Xiangjie Peng’s Journey Through China’s Subcultures

PhotoMail — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 07:59:14 +0000

Xiangjie Peng's latest book challenges mainstream Chinese photography by focusing on overlooked subcultures. Through three series - Dwarfs Empire, Twins, and Cosplay - Peng offers a nuanced view of contemporary China. "I am interested in the so-called non-mainstream people," Peng explains, rejecting politically sanctioned subjects. His empathetic approach lends dignity to marginalized groups, revealing a diverse and complex China beyond official narratives. Peng's work demonstrates photography's power to find beauty in unexpected places, presenting a unique perspective on modern Chinese society.

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Pieces of the personal: Postcards at MAP portray lesser-seen past

PhotoMail — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:31:18 +0000

In this article, Joyel K Pious explores the historical significance of early 20th-century postcards from colonial India, as showcased in an exhibition at the Museum of Art and Photography in Bengaluru. These postcards, primarily sent by English residents in India to their homes abroad, offer unique insights into the colonial perspective and the complex cultural dynamics of the time. Pious reflects on how these mundane objects of personal communication have transformed into artifacts of historical importance, revealing lesser-seen views of the past. The postcards depict various aspects of Indian life, often through a colonial gaze, ranging from exotic imagery to condescending portrayals of local culture. The article also touches on how native Indian businesses eventually entered the postcard market, incorporating patriotic themes and fusion of European and Indian imagery.

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Battle of the gods | Metabolism of Culture

PhotoMail — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 13:28:10 +0000

In "The Battle of the Gods," Tulsi Swarna Lakshmi analyzes Indian photographer Abul Kalam Azad's "Men of Pukar" series, using it as a lens to explore the transformation of cultural symbols in India. The author focuses on the shift from the buffalo to the cow as a sacred animal, viewing this change as emblematic of larger cultural metamorphoses. This transition is reflected in the myth of Durga slaying Mahishasura, a narrative that transcends a simple tale of good versus evil. Instead, it represents the complex interplay between indigenous traditions and incoming Vedic culture. By examining the evolving perceptions of the buffalo—from a revered symbol of fertility and strength to a representation of evil—Lakshmi uncovers the deeper cultural metabolism of India, revealing how symbols and myths adapt to reflect changing societal dynamics.

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Pathumayude Aadu by Abul Kalam Azad

PhotoMail — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 05:18:57 +0000

In Pathumayude Aadu, the author delves into the avant-garde investigative journalism pioneered in Kerala, particularly highlighting the innovative portrayal of Basheer's beloved characters, which set a new standard for how literature could be explored and documented within the realm of journalism.

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World Photography Day: Celebrating the Evolution of a Timeless Art

PhotoMail — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 16:33:48 +0000

This editorial traces the evolution of photography from its 1839 invention to its role today as a dynamic medium that balances reality and imagination. It explores the duality of photography as both an accessible tool and a serious art form. On World Photography Day, the article reflects on photography's lasting impact and significance in visual culture.

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Photography, Art and Photographic Art: Notes on a Troubled Relationship

PhotoMail — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 06:11:56 +0000

In Photography, Art and Photographic Art, Arjun explores the evolving relationship between photography and art, examining historical shifts in perception, technological impacts, and the role of photographic imagery in shaping modern visual culture and artistic expression.

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A monologue with timeless performers

PhotoMail — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 05:24:09 +0000

The gaze of a photographer can speak a lot about his/her relationship with the subject. Andreas places the camera on the ground or on a level lower than that of the subjects. Devoid of any movement, it watches the men as they go on with their acts. I would normally feel annoyed or interrupted by a camera watching me, but the men here seem to be interacting with it in a rather playful mood. They give little notice to the camera most of the time. But when the performers decide to mind the camera, they all react differently. Friendliness, curiosity, elation, annoyance and resignation reflect on their face alternately. Andreas told me that he kept the camera at the lowest possible angle to reassure his subjects that neither he nor his camera posed any threat. However, does that mean the men gave consent to record them?

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Climbing the insurmountable summit

PhotoMail — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 06:03:45 +0000

Here too, it is the women who become the torch-bearers and victims at the same time. It seems the burden on women to appear beautiful is not waning. As we continue to set new criteria for defining beauty and ugliness, if Umberto Eco is true, the exact opposite is also automatically reinventing itself. Hariharan S. ‘Barbecue Republic’, through its improbable distortion of the female body, indirectly unveils the insurmountable summit a woman awaits in our world.

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Fragmented Souls in a Mercury-stained Pietà, Minamata (film 2020)

PhotoMail — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 06:17:14 +0000

Minamata (2020), directed by Andrew Levitas begins with a glimpse of ‘Tomoko and Mother in the Bath’, shot by Eugene in 1971. As the image pans out, one can hear Tomoko’s mother Ryoko Kamimura singing to her daughter. The world stops for a moment… This powerful image changed the world of editorial photography. It is simple yet deeply disturbing. It portrays love, not violence, but it is not the kind of love that would let you cuddle in your comfort zone. It is a love that would shake and stir things up.

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Invitation to a feast at our home

PhotoMail — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 12:10:16 +0000

Entropy — a performance inspired from fear, on peace — was organised at Forplay Society, Mattanchery on October 29 and 30. Rather than representing a single concept, Entropy develops in each spectator differently depending on their association with their surroundings. As a transdisciplinary work of art, it fuses theatre and film, which complement each other throughout the performance.

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Taboos and totems, the holy and the unholy

PhotoMail — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 06:03:50 +0000

There is an intrinsic conflict when anything becomes a totem to one and a taboo to another. But when seen objectively, these epical animals share one thing in common – mystical elements attributed to the tamable and productive or the untamable and powerful. The greater their contribution to humans survival and economic well-being, the more sacred they become.

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പ്രയാഗിലെ ദേശാടനക്കിളികൾ

PhotoMail — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 12:15:26 +0000

നല്ല വെയിലുള്ള ഒരു ഉച്ചയ്ക്കാണ് ഞങ്ങൾ കാൺപൂരിൽ നിന്ന് പുറപ്പെട്ടത്. വാഹനങ്ങൾ ഇടതടവില്ലാതെ പായുന്ന ഗ്രാൻഡ് ട്രങ്ക് റോഡിന്റെ അരികിലൂടെ വളരെ ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ ഞാൻ സൈക്കിൾ ചവിട്ടി. വേഗമേറിയ വാഹനങ്ങൾ സൃഷ്ടിക്കുന്ന കാറ്റിന് സൈക്കിളിന്റെ താളം തെറ്റിക്കാൻ കഴിയും എന്നതിനാൽ ചെറിയ അശ്രദ്ധ പോലും അപകടം ക്ഷണിച്ചുവരുത്തുമായിരുന്നു. മുമ്പിലുള്ള പ്രധാന നഗരം 130 കിലോമീറ്റർ കിഴക്കുള്ള അലഹബാദ് ആയിരുന്നു. ഒറ്റദിവസം കൊണ്ട് അവിടെ എത്താനാകില്ല എന്നതുകൊണ്ട് ഇടയ്ക്കുള്ള ഫത്തേപ്പൂർ എന്ന പട്ടണത്തിൽ രാത്രി തങ്ങാനായിരുന്നു ഞങ്ങളുടെ പദ്ധതി. ഗംഗയുടെയും, യമുനയുടെയും ഇടയിലായാണ് ജില്ലാ ആസ്ഥാനം കൂടിയായ ഫത്തേപ്പൂരിന്റെ കിടപ്പ്. കയറ്റിറക്കങ്ങൾ ഇല്ലാത്ത വഴിയിലൂടെയുള്ള യാത്ര സുഖകരമായിരുന്നു.

The post പ്രയാഗിലെ ദേശാടനക്കിളികൾ appeared first on Photo Mail.

கழுமரவேர் | ஒளியெழுத்து | சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும்

PhotoMail — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 04:45:13 +0000

ஒளியெழுத்து | சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும்
சிறப்பு நெடுவரிசை
கவிதைகள் முத்துராசா குமார்
புகைப்படம்
அபுல் கலாம் ஆசாத்

போட்டோ மெயில்
தமிழ் பக்கத்தில்
சமகால புகைப்படக்கலை
அதன் வரலாறு, அழகியல்
நுட்பங்கள், விமர்சனம், மற்றும்
மொழிமாற்றப்பட்ட
கட்டுரைகள் பிரசுரிக்கப்படும்

The post கழுமரவேர் | ஒளியெழுத்து | சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும் appeared first on Photo Mail.

ചുവപ്പും കറുപ്പും: ചില കാൺപൂർ ഓർമ്മകൾ

PhotoMail — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 09:26:26 +0000

നഗരത്തെ നടുവിലൂടെ കീറിമുറിച്ച് കടന്നുപോകുന്ന പ്രധാന പാതയിലൂടെ പതിനഞ്ച് കിലോമീറ്റർ കൂടി സഞ്ചരിച്ചാൽ മാത്രമേ സുമിതിന്റെ സുഹൃത്തുക്കൾ ഏർപ്പാടാക്കിയ മുറിയിൽ എത്താനാകൂ. ഇതുവരെയുള്ള യാത്രയിലെ ഏറ്റവും വലുതും, തിരക്കുപിടിച്ചതുമായ നഗരമായിരുന്നു കാൺപൂർ. നിരനിരയായി ഇഴഞ്ഞുനീങ്ങുന്ന മോട്ടോർ വാഹനങ്ങളുടെ ഇടയിലൂടെ സൈക്കിളിൽ സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്നത് ഒരു സർക്കസ് വിദ്യ പോലെ തോന്നി. വഴിയിൽ ഇടക്കിടെ വരുന്ന മേൽപ്പാലങ്ങളിലേക്ക് സൈക്കിൾ ചവിട്ടിക്കയറ്റാൻ ഞങ്ങൾ ഇരുവരും പ്രയാസപ്പെട്ടു. ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് വാഹനങ്ങളുടെ ഹോണുകൾ സൃഷ്ടിക്കുന്ന ഒച്ചപ്പാടിൽ സൈക്കിൾ മണികളുടെ ശബ്ദം അലിഞ്ഞില്ലാതായി. കൂടെക്കൂടെ പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെടുന്ന ട്രാഫിക് സിഗ്നലുകൾ പിന്നിടുന്നത് അതീവ ശ്രമകരമായിരുന്നു. ഓട്ടപ്പന്തയത്തിന് തയ്യാറെടുക്കുന്നതുപോലെ അക്ഷമരായി പച്ചവെളിച്ചവും കാത്ത് നിൽക്കുന്ന ഡ്രൈവർമാർക്കിടയിലൂടെ സൈക്കിൾ ചവിട്ടുന്നത് അപകടം നിറഞ്ഞ പരിപാടിയായിരുന്നു. ഒന്നരമണിക്കൂറോളം നീണ്ട പ്രയാണത്തിനൊടുവിലാണ് കാൺപൂർ നഗരത്തിന്റെ തെക്കേയറ്റത്ത് ഞങ്ങൾ എത്തിച്ചേർന്നത്.

The post ചുവപ്പും കറുപ്പും: ചില കാൺപൂർ ഓർമ്മകൾ appeared first on Photo Mail.

முந்திரி | ஒளியெழுத்து | சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும்

PhotoMail — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 07:54:17 +0000

The post முந்திரி | ஒளியெழுத்து | சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும் appeared first on Photo Mail.

The Meeting of Two Legends – MGR and Mammootty

PhotoMail — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 07:36:13 +0000

From the erstwhile Madras, on the inauguration day, MGR arrived at the Cochin old airport, and I was there to shoot him. As a big fan of MGR, obviously one among the millions of MGR lovers, I cherished my fascination to meet and shoot him. A master performer who excelled in playing fashionable, romantic, globetrotting and adorable heroes, MGR was unique by all standards. As most of the journalists and photographers took images of his arrival and left, I decided to stick around.

The post The Meeting of Two Legends – MGR and Mammootty appeared first on Photo Mail.

Verantha Chronicle by Ramesh Varma

PhotoMail — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 14:31:07 +0000

അതും പിടിച്ച് എന്റെ വരാന്തയിലൂടെ അങ്ങോട്ടുമിങ്ങോട്ടു്‌ നടന്നുകൊണ്ടിരുന്നു. ‘മോണിങ്ങ് വാക്ക്’ പരമ്പരക്കായി പ്രഭാതത്തിലെ തെരുവുകൾ ക്യാമറയിൽ പകർത്തിയിരുന്ന നാളുകളുടെ സ്വപ്നസ്മരണകൾ….

വരാന്തയിൽ കണ്ടവരുടെ, (അധികവും ഉറ്റവരും ഉടയവരും തന്നെ ) ഫോട്ടോ എടുത്തു. ഇതാ എന്റെ ‘Verantha Chronicle’

The post Verantha Chronicle by Ramesh Varma appeared first on Photo Mail.

Body of a woman by Ra Sh

PhotoMail — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 15:41:53 +0000

Photo Mail presents a panoramic view of the art of photography’s Interaction and Interrelation with other art mediums such as literature architecture, and other visual media. Poetry and Photography column curated by noted Indian poet Ra Sh and Indian photographer Abul Kalam Azad.

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Interview with Prashant Panjiar

PhotoMail — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 08:53:51 +0000

Prashant Panjiar's latest photobook 'That Which Is Unseen' was launched on September 18. Published by Ahmedabad-based Navajivan Trust, this book is a collection of photographs and backstories from Panjiar's almost four decades of photography career. Here is an exclusive interview.

The post Interview with Prashant Panjiar appeared first on Photo Mail.

പുതുമഴയുടെ മണമുള്ള മണ്ണിൽ

PhotoMail — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 09:05:13 +0000

മുറിയിൽ എത്തിയപ്പോൾ ധർമ്മശാലയുടെ ഉടമ അവിടെ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. ഞങ്ങളുടെ വിശേഷങ്ങൾ കേട്ടപ്പോൾ അയാൾ ഭേദപ്പെട്ട ഒരു മുറി തന്നു. ചിലന്തിവലകൾ നിറഞ്ഞ, ഈർപ്പം തങ്ങി നിന്നിരുന്ന ആ മുറി ആദ്യത്തെ സ്റ്റോർ റൂമിനേക്കാൻ നല്ലതായിരുന്നു. ഞങ്ങളുടെ പര്യടനഭൂപടത്തിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടാത്ത സ്ഥലമായിരുന്നെങ്കിലും, ബദായൂനിന്റെ ചരിത്രത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് ഞാൻ അല്പം അന്വേഷണം നടത്തി. അഹർ രാജകുമാരനായ ബുദ്ധ് പൊതുയുഗം (CE) 905ൽ സ്ഥാപിച്ചതാണ് ഈ നഗരം എന്ന് വിശ്വസിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. മുഹമ്മദ് ഗസ്നിയുടെ ബന്ധുവായ സയ്യിദ് മസൂദ് ഗാസി CE 1028 ൽ ഈ പ്രദേശം പിടിച്ചടക്കി

The post പുതുമഴയുടെ മണമുള്ള മണ്ണിൽ appeared first on Photo Mail.

Crows: Photographing the Familiar | Abul Kalam Azad

PhotoMail — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 13:12:56 +0000

Photographs can make familiar objects, places, and people more familiar. Everyday mundane encounters and banal objects, when photographed, instill an interest in its viewer to observe the ignored. For, when we look at familiar objects, again and again, it reveals something or the other that was not seen during the first instance.

The post Crows: Photographing the Familiar | Abul Kalam Azad appeared first on Photo Mail.

Interview with Nick Oza

PhotoMail — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 06:43:49 +0000

Nick Oza is a staff photojournalist at the Arizona Republic where he covers community and national issues like immigration, gang violence, mental health, and refugees. His 20+ years of experience behind the camera have taken him to places like Iraq, India, Benin, Mexico, Guatemala and all over North America. Recently he is working on Politics and Immigration crisis. He is driven by curiosity, compassion and a deep desire to tell the stories of the people he documents. His multimedia work has been honored with an Emmy Award and his documentary photos have received honors from Pictures of the Year International and NPPA's Best of Photojournalism. He was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service as part of the Biloxi Sun Herald's coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

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கூழாங்கல் பதித்த தாயத்து | ஒளியெழுத்து

PhotoMail — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 07:43:01 +0000

கூழாங்கல் பதித்த தாயத்து, சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும் சிறப்பு நெடுவரிசை, கவிதைகள் முத்துராசா குமார், புகைப்படம் அபுல் கலாம் ஆசாத்

The post கூழாங்கல் பதித்த தாயத்து | ஒளியெழுத்து appeared first on Photo Mail.

Huge and Historic: On the First Cochin Carnival

PhotoMail — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 05:17:16 +0000

After my father’s demise, I stumbled upon a few negatives he had preserved along with some valuable documents. It was amidst this, I found a few strips of the negatives of the Carnival Parade 1985 (The First Cochin Carnival), the culminating event of the year-long Beach Festival (1984-85). The origin of the Cochin Carnival is a lot more straightforward than what is being popularly narrated today. It began as a celebration of the UN Declaration of 1985 as the International Youth Year. Such a remarkable cultural event was made possible in Kochi thanks to its rich cosmopolitan history.

The post Huge and Historic: On the First Cochin Carnival appeared first on Photo Mail.

Microhistories of Unsung Heroes

PhotoMail — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 08:28:10 +0000

Of all the artists I met at Kalapeedam, Chicku was closest to me, as there were many things common between us. Chicku was also a drop-out, self-taught, and nomadic. By nature, he was timid and tranquil. Most of his works were surrealistic animal and plant forms. For his study, we spent several days trekking and exploring the forests and mountainous regions of South India. A wonderful painter with unmatchable skill and capability, Chicku brought out his artistic expression with a lot of rebellion and originality.

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A Canvas of Motions

PhotoMail — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 09:35:44 +0000

Young photographer Arun Inham's A Canvas in Motion combines photography, theatre, and performance, is one of those projects that fall within the scope of now-trending experimental and conceptual photography practices. This body of work was done during the pandemic lockdown period. Confined within a small space, he interestingly stages objects and stitches them together as an image. These works were showcased at the Images of Encounter online group exhibition, which would be Arun Inham's first show.

The post A Canvas of Motions appeared first on Photo Mail.

ஒசரக் கூனிச்சி

PhotoMail — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 05:43:48 +0000

சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும் சிறப்பு நெடுவரிசை. கவிதைகள் முத்துராசா குமார். புகைப்படம்அபுல் கலாம் ஆசாத்,

The post ஒசரக் கூனிச்சி appeared first on Photo Mail.

Hitchhiking Days

PhotoMail — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 08:44:44 +0000

Most of the Indian photographers learned from their foreign masters and hence, their styles continued to dominate Indian photography. They were either voyeuristic visual trophies that professed, “I had been there, seen that, met him”, or a tool that propagated “top-down let’s-look-at-the-suffering” sort of charity or propaganda of the photographer/client.

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ബ്രിജ്ഘാട്ടിലെ ചൂടുകാറ്റ്

PhotoMail — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 07:50:18 +0000

‘തീർത്ഥാടക നഗരിയായ അനുപ്ശഹറിലേക്ക് സ്വാഗതം’ എന്നെഴുതി വെച്ചിട്ടുള്ള ഒരു വലിയ കമാനം ഞങ്ങളുടെ മുൻപിൽ തലയുയർത്തി നിന്നു. മുഗൾ ചക്രവർത്തിയായ ജഹാംഗീറിന്റെ ഭരണകാലത്ത് അനുപ് റായ് എന്ന രാജാവാണ് ഈ പട്ടണം സ്ഥാപിച്ചത് എന്നാണ് പറയപ്പെടുന്നത്.

The post ബ്രിജ്ഘാട്ടിലെ ചൂടുകാറ്റ് appeared first on Photo Mail.

രണ്ട് പുതിയ ചങ്ങാതിമാർ

PhotoMail — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 06:34:54 +0000

ഇരുട്ട് വീഴും മുൻപേ ഹൈവേയിൽ എത്താനായിരുന്നു ഞങ്ങളുടെ പദ്ധതി. എല്ലാ കണക്കുകൂട്ടലുകളും തെറ്റിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് അഞ്ചുമണി ആയപ്പോഴേക്കും വെളിച്ചം കുറയാൻ തുടങ്ങി. വല്ലപ്പോഴും കടന്നുപോകുന്ന വാഹനങ്ങളും, ഒറ്റപ്പെട്ട ചില ഗ്രാമങ്ങളും മാത്രമേ വഴിയിൽ കണ്ടുള്ളൂ. കാലിൽ വേദന കൂടിക്കൂടി വന്നതുകൊണ്ട് സൈക്കിൾ വേഗത്തിൽ ചവിട്ടാനും കഴിയുന്നില്ല. ഓരോ കിലോമീറ്ററും പിന്നിടാൻ വേണ്ട സമയം കൂടിവന്നു.

The post രണ്ട് പുതിയ ചങ്ങാതിമാർ appeared first on Photo Mail.

അഗസ്റ്റിൻ്റെ സ്വപ്നങ്ങൾ

PhotoMail — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 11:57:17 +0000

മറ്റൊരിക്കൽ ഞാൻ പറഞ്ഞു: എനിക്ക് പെൺകുഞ്ഞ് പിറന്നാൽ ജുബി എന്ന് പേരിടും. ആൺ കുട്ടിയാണെങ്കിൽ ബൈജുവെന്നും.
എനിക്ക് ആൺകുഞ്ഞുങ്ങളുണ്ടായില്ല. മൂത്ത മകൾക്ക് ജൂബി എന്ന് തന്നെ പേരിട്ടു .അഗസ്റ്റിൻ്റ മകന്ന് ബൈജുവെന്നും. രണ്ടു പേരും വാക്കുപാലിച്ചു.

The post അഗസ്റ്റിൻ്റെ സ്വപ്നങ്ങൾ appeared first on Photo Mail.

கருப்பு நிலமும், மனிதர்களும் | பாலமுருகன்

PhotoMail — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 08:22:24 +0000

இந்திய வரைபடத்தில் புதிதாக உதயமான ஒரு மாநிலத்தில் கால் வைக்க போகிறோம் என்றதுமே அதற்கான முன்திட்டமிடல் ஆரம்பமானது. பயணம் தொடங்கியது. ராஞ்சி விமான நிலையத்தில் இருந்து நான்கு மணி நேர சாலைப்பயணம். ஜார்கண்ட் என்ற சொல்லுக்கு காடுகளை கொண்ட நிலப்பரப்பு என்பது பொருள். அந்த பெயருக்கு எந்த குறைவும் இல்லாமல் வழி நெடுக அடர்ந்த காடுகளை காண முடிந்தது. தூத்துக்குடி துறைமுகத்தில் நிலக்கரியை கப்பலில் இருந்து இறக்குமதி செய்வதை பார்த்த எனக்கு நிலக்கரி மலையை வெட்டி போடப்பட்டிருந்த சாலையில் பயணித்த போது சிலிர்ப்பாக இருந்தது.

The post கருப்பு நிலமும், மனிதர்களும் | பாலமுருகன் appeared first on Photo Mail.

Mattancherry: My Cosmopolitan Hometown

PhotoMail — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 05:46:17 +0000

Mattancherry has been a microcosm of authentic cosmopolitanism, many ethnicities and faiths coexisting together, with its beautiful contrasts and combinations. I grew up there, in one of its small boroughs called Kochangadi. This Muslim dominated waterfront settlement had – and still has – a few Jewish, Ezhava and Christian families. Apart from a synagogue and a few churches, there are several small and big mosques that belong to different ethnic groups or factions of Muslims.

The post Mattancherry: My Cosmopolitan Hometown appeared first on Photo Mail.

செந்தட்டி | புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும்

PhotoMail — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 09:50:33 +0000

ஒளியெழுத்து. சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும் சிறப்பு நெடுவரிசை. புகைப்படம் அபுல் கலாம் ஆசாத். கவிதைகள் முத்துராசா குமார்.

The post செந்தட்டி | புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும் appeared first on Photo Mail.

The Burden (and freedom) of Photography

PhotoMail — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 13:16:46 +0000

Though photographs could be widely disseminated, unlike the real trophies they did not provide incontrovertible proof of masculine prowess: it was possible, after all, to have oneself photographed next to a dead tiger, and pretend that one had been the heroic agent of that death. Yet, over time, as the impression became widespread that hunting was perhaps not the most indelible marker of masculinity, it was suggested that it required greater courage and masculine prowess to draw up close to big cats and other wild animals, and shoot the camera at close range (pp. 130-32). Susan Sontag has described the camera as a “sublimation of the gun”, and Ryan reminds us that the vocabulary of picture-taking – “loading’, ‘aiming’, ”shooting’ – has been largely derived from hunting.

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ഹരിദ്വാറിലെ ശാന്തിതീരം

PhotoMail — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 10:14:07 +0000

ഹരിദ്വാറിലെ ഘാട്ടുകൾക്കും ആചാരങ്ങൾക്കും വലിയ മാറ്റമൊന്നും വന്നിട്ടില്ല. ഗുരുവിന്റെ സ്മരണയിൽ ഗുരുദ്വാര നാനക്-വാര (Gurudwara Nanakwara) എന്ന വലിയൊരു സിഖ് ആരാധനാലയം ഇവിടെ ഉയർന്നു വന്നിരിക്കുകയാണ്.

The post ഹരിദ്വാറിലെ ശാന്തിതീരം appeared first on Photo Mail.

ചെമ്പിട്ട പള്ളിയും അന്ത്റുപ്പാപ്പയും

PhotoMail — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 08:53:18 +0000

“മലബാരിക്ക് ഈമാനില്ല, കോടാലിക്ക് ഉറയില്ല : എന്ന ആപ്തവാക്യങ്ങൾ ഉറപ്പായും അതിലുണ്ടാകും. അത് അന്ത്റുവിന്റെ മാനിഫെസ്റ്റൊ ആയിരിക്കാം. അക്കാലത്തേ ഞാൻ എഴുതിത്തുടങ്ങിയിരുന്നത് കൊണ്ട് ഒരു ബുദ്ധിജീവിയാണെന്ന് ധരിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ടാവാം മൂപ്പർ.

The post ചെമ്പിട്ട പള്ളിയും അന്ത്റുപ്പാപ്പയും appeared first on Photo Mail.

Sepia Tinted Memory

PhotoMail — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 09:59:29 +0000

Our family name is Pattanam, an acronym for the Tamil word Patthanathukarar (which means ‘hailing from a port town’). We could have been from one of the earliest seaports of Tamilakam (the region corresponding to the present South India) such as Kaveripoompatanam (Chola Port Pukar) or Kayalpattanam (Pandyan Port Korkai). Trading took my forefathers to different parts of Tamilakam and they eventually settled in Mattancherry.

The post Sepia Tinted Memory appeared first on Photo Mail.

ചാപ്പ സിനിമയും ഫോർട്ട് കൊച്ചിയിലെ ഇൻസ്‌പെക്ഷൻ ബാഗ്ലൂവും

PhotoMail — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 08:33:39 +0000

ഒരു ചെറിയ മുറ്റമേയുള്ളെങ്കിലും കടലിന്നഭിമുഖമായി ഇരുന്ന് സംസാരിക്കാം. പച്ചപ്പുല്ലു പിടിപ്പിച്ച ചെറിയ ഒരു പൂന്തോട്ടമായിരുന്നു ഇതെങ്കിൽ എന്നാലോചിച്ചു പോയിട്ടുണ്ട്.ഒരു വെളുപ്പാൻ കാലത്ത് കുളിച്ച് ഈറൻ മാറിയ ഒരു യൂറോപ്യൻ സ്ത്രീയും പുരുഷനും കടലിലേയ്ക്ക് നോക്കി നിൽക്കുന്ന കാഴ്ച ആരോ ക്ലിക്ക് ചെയ്തത് പോലെ മനസ്സിലുണ്ട്.

The post ചാപ്പ സിനിമയും ഫോർട്ട് കൊച്ചിയിലെ ഇൻസ്‌പെക്ഷൻ ബാഗ്ലൂവും appeared first on Photo Mail.

Smart City

PhotoMail — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 06:08:10 +0000

விரிகொம்பு காளை | சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும் சிறப்பு நெடுவரிசை. கவிதைகள் முத்துராசா குமார் | புகைப்படம் அபுல் கலாம் ஆசாத்

The post Smart City appeared first on Photo Mail.

യോഗാനഗരിയിലെ ബീറ്റിൽസ് താളങ്ങൾ

PhotoMail — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 07:46:38 +0000

സംസ്കാരത്തിന്റെ സംരക്ഷകർ എന്നു സ്വയം വിശേഷിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ചിലർക്ക് വേറെ ചില ‘പ്രശ്നങ്ങളാണ്’ ഉയർത്തിക്കാട്ടാനുള്ളത് വിദേശ വിനോദ സഞ്ചാരികൾ അസന്മാർഗിക പ്രവർത്തികളിൽ ഏർപ്പെടുന്നു എന്നും, ഋഷികേശിന്റെ ‘പവിത്രത’ നഷ്ടപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു എന്നും ആരോപിച്ച് വിശ്വഹിന്ദു പരിഷദ് രംഗത്തുവന്നത് ഒരു ഉദാഹരണമാണ്.

The post യോഗാനഗരിയിലെ ബീറ്റിൽസ് താളങ്ങൾ appeared first on Photo Mail.

தவ

PhotoMail — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 08:30:28 +0000

சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும் சிறப்பு நெடுவரிசை. புகைப்படமும் அபுல் கலாம் ஆசாத்; கவிதைகள் முத்துராசா குமார்.

The post தவ appeared first on Photo Mail.

ദേവപ്രയാഗിലെ സന്ധ്യകൾ

PhotoMail — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 14:06:46 +0000

ആളുകളെ കുത്തിനിറച്ച ഒരു ജീപ്പിലാണ് ടെഹ്‌റി അണക്കെട്ടിന് അപ്പുറത്തുള്ള ധൻസാലിയിൽ നിന്ന് ദേവപ്രയാഗിലേക്കുള്ള ഞങ്ങളുടെ യാത്ര തുടങ്ങിയത്.

The post ദേവപ്രയാഗിലെ സന്ധ്യകൾ appeared first on Photo Mail.

தலைப்பற்ற கவிதை | ஒளியெழுத்து

PhotoMail — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 08:16:01 +0000

சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும் சிறப்பு நெடுவரிசை. கவிதைகள் முத்துராசா குமார். புகைப்படம் அபுல் கலாம் ஆசாத்

The post தலைப்பற்ற கவிதை | ஒளியெழுத்து appeared first on Photo Mail.

Contemporary Photography as Sighting Vying for Citing

PhotoMail — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 06:32:06 +0000

Sighting is always accidental and definitely at times eagerly waited for. Examples could be taken from two different types of star gazing; one from astronomy and the other from the film world. Crazy fans of both astronomy and film stars do wait for the sighting of their focus of interest and the knowledge about their appearance is limited and vague. In the former’s case precision spotting is possible now with technological advancements but in the latter case the information of a star’s arrival is pretty vague and it is not even necessary that he/she appears in the expected point of entry. In both the cases there is a long and patient waiting. But among the innumerable images captured by the crazy fans or amateur photographers none qualifies as a ‘citable’ image. The citable images are those clicked and distributed selectively or ‘officially’ by the authorities.

The post Contemporary Photography as Sighting Vying for Citing appeared first on Photo Mail.

സമരഭൂമിയിലൂടെ ഒരു ബോട്ട് സവാരി

PhotoMail — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 10:22:08 +0000

ചമ്പയിലെത്തിയപ്പോഴേക്കും നേരം നല്ലപോലെ ഇരുട്ടി. തിരക്ക് പിടിച്ച ഒരു പട്ടണം. കുറേ അലഞ്ഞ ശേഷം 300 രൂപ വാടകക്ക് ഒരു ചെറിയ മുറി കിട്ടി. അടുത്ത രണ്ടോമൂന്നോ ദിവസം ഇവിടെ താമസിച്ച് ചുറ്റുമുള്ള പ്രദേശങ്ങൾ സന്ദർശിക്കാനായിരുന്നു പരിപാടി. പുറത്ത് നിന്നും പാർസൽ വാങ്ങിയ ചോറും പരിപ്പും, അടുത്തുള്ള ചന്തയിൽ നിന്ന് വാങ്ങിയ പച്ചക്കറികൾ ചേർത്തുണ്ടാക്കിയ സാലഡും കൂട്ടി ഞങ്ങൾ അത്താഴം കഴിച്ചു. തണുപ്പ് കൂടിക്കൂടി വന്നു.

The post സമരഭൂമിയിലൂടെ ഒരു ബോട്ട് സവാരി appeared first on Photo Mail.

விடுதலை

PhotoMail — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 06:59:27 +0000

The post விடுதலை appeared first on Photo Mail.

Christian Tamil Couples

PhotoMail — Fri, 25 Dec 2020 12:04:10 +0000

Unlike the rest of South India, where Christians have a history of about 2,000 years, this temple town has seen only three generations of Christians that constitutes roughly about 2.7% of the total population. A majority of them are first or second-generation Tamil Christians and they are yet to completely convert from their traditional practices and lifestyle.

The post Christian Tamil Couples appeared first on Photo Mail.

പെരുംമഴയിൽ കുതിർന്ന കാലടികൾ

PhotoMail — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 13:07:53 +0000

ഉച്ച കഴിഞ്ഞതോടെ കാലാവസ്ഥയാകെ മാറി. കാർമേഘങ്ങൾ സൂര്യനെ മറച്ചു. എപ്പോൾ വേണമെങ്കിലും മഴ പെയ്യാമെന്നായി. ഹർസിൽ എത്താൻ ഇനിയും പത്ത് കിലോമീറ്ററോളം ഉണ്ട്. കയ്യിൽ കരുതിയിട്ടുള്ള മഴക്കോട്ടുകൾ ഞങ്ങൾ അണിഞ്ഞു. ബാഗുകൾ നനയാതിരിക്കാൻ പ്രത്യേകം കവറുകൾ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. പെരുംമഴ തുടങ്ങി. നടത്തം വളരെ സാവധാനത്തിലായിരുന്നു. ഒരു മണിക്കൂറിൽ മൂന്ന് കിലോമീറ്റർ പോലും പിന്നിടാൻ ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് സാധിച്ചില്ല.

The post പെരുംമഴയിൽ കുതിർന്ന കാലടികൾ appeared first on Photo Mail.

நானொரு உடுக்கையாடி

PhotoMail — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 10:21:20 +0000

சமகால புகைப்படமும் கவிதையும் சிறப்பு நெடுவரிசை. புகைப்படம் அபுல் கலாம் ஆசாத். கவிதைகள் முத்துராசா குமார்.

The post நானொரு உடுக்கையாடி appeared first on Photo Mail.

Flâneur’s Notes II, Image is an Artefact

PhotoMail — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 07:22:15 +0000

The lone boot is rather a disturbing image; much pain inducing than the aggressive and cautious posture of the freedom fighters backed up by the Indian Army (definitely Kishore Parekh is on the winning side as he was taken to the combat zone by an Indian army General in his vehicle). A closer look reveals that the boot does not belong to the fighters. They wear rubber slippers and are not in combat fatigue. The image tells something more; the Indian army gives the backup and ammunition to the native freedom fighters but does not fight from the front.

The post Flâneur’s Notes II, Image is an Artefact appeared first on Photo Mail.

In my taxi, when a photo artist becomes a cab driver

PhotoMail — Sat, 19 Dec 2020 13:06:43 +0000

What motivated Weideman to keep photographing? The answer to this is also an important quality that makes his photographs intriguing. He continued shooting even though he was not exhibiting nor getting into any sort of limelight until the mid-90s. Passion for the medium, of course. But there is more.

The post In my taxi, when a photo artist becomes a cab driver appeared first on Photo Mail.

Mallaahs, the boatmen of Gangetic geography, A Photo Art series by Shibu Arakkal

PhotoMail — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 10:55:56 +0000

Review of Mallahs, the boat of Gangetic geography, photographic series of Shibu Arakkal. For several hundred years these boatmen on the Ganga and the Yamuna have handed down their oars from father to son. I was intensely drawn to the purpose of their lives, to carry people back and forth on these rivers. Almost married to their boats, these men. To live almost all of their lives on these wooden vessels, going about their worldly chores and belonging to a tribe of menfolk, they pride themselves on being the real caretakers of these mystical rivers. Almost as if they are born on these boats and just as possibly may breath their last on it, the Mallaah men live lives removed from their families and children.

The post Mallaahs, the boatmen of Gangetic geography, A Photo Art series by Shibu Arakkal appeared first on Photo Mail.

பேதலிப்பாடல்

PhotoMail — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 08:55:38 +0000

The post பேதலிப்பாடல் appeared first on Photo Mail.

യാത്രകളുടെ തുടക്കം

PhotoMail — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 13:02:56 +0000

ഹിമാലയന്‍ മഞ്ഞുപാടങ്ങളില്‍ നിന്നൊഴുകി, ചരിത്രമുറങ്ങുന്ന ജനപഥങ്ങളെ തഴുകി, ബംഗാള്‍ ഉള്‍ക്കടലിന്‍റെ ആഴങ്ങളില്‍ അലിയുന്നത് വരെയുള്ള ഗംഗയുടെ യാത്രയെ, നാല് മാസത്തോളം സൈക്കിളിലും, കാൽനടയായും ജോയൽ കെ. പയസ് അനുഗമിച്ചതിന്റെ എഴുത്തും ചിത്രങ്ങളും.

The post യാത്രകളുടെ തുടക്കം appeared first on Photo Mail.

Astad Deboo, a photo tribute to the dance maestro

PhotoMail — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 12:00:26 +0000

The artist community from around the world is deeply shocked by dance maestro Astad Deboo's sudden demise. Tributes have been pouring in. He has been a source of inspiration for many. Astad was also a good friend and mentor, always reachable and welcoming. A photographer mentioned that the last message he had received from Astad a week ago was a note of thank you. "Thank you for Photographing me all these years", Astad had said in that personal message. In fact, it is our privilege that we get to see these remarkable photographic visuals. Each one of us is indebted to these known and unknown photographers for these living pictures. As we mourn the loss of India's cultural treasure, PhotoMail brings together select photographs of Astad Deboo. Astad Deboo will live forever, in loving memory.

The post Astad Deboo, a photo tribute to the dance maestro appeared first on Photo Mail.

കാലം കാനായിയോട് ചെയ്യുന്നത്

PhotoMail — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 06:40:46 +0000

കുഞ്ഞിരാമന്റെ സാഗരകന്യക എന്ന ശില്പത്തിന്റെ ജീവചരിത്രവും, ശംഖുമുഖം എന്ന കടലോരത്തിന്റെ ഭൂമിശാസ്ത്രവും ഇഴപിരിഞ്ഞുകിടക്കുന്നു. ഈയൊരു സങ്കീർണ്ണതയിലേക്കാണ് ഏതാനും മാസങ്ങൾക്ക് മുൻപ് ഒരു യന്ത്രത്തുമ്പി പറന്നിറങ്ങിയത്.

The post കാലം കാനായിയോട് ചെയ്യുന്നത് appeared first on Photo Mail.

Dilli Chalo: Ready for the long haul

PhotoMail — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 05:15:46 +0000

As part of the ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest called on November 26 and 27, lakhs of farmers, laborers, and small traders decided to march from Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and other states towards Delhi. During their attempt to reach Delhi, the farmers faced warlike resistance from the Indian government at two inter-state borders. Protesters occupied several miles of highway with their tractors and trolleys.

The post Dilli Chalo: Ready for the long haul appeared first on Photo Mail.

Flâneur Notes: The Truth of Old Photographs

PhotoMail — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 09:08:15 +0000

The location is Rabindra Bhavan, Mandi House, New Delhi, the seat of three academies (Fine Arts, Music, and Literature). It also has a three storey gallery designed by Habib Rahman, an erstwhile PWD Engineer, and father of noted photographer and activist, Ram Rahman, where hopeful artists come from faraway places to make it big in the art scene.

The post Flâneur Notes: The Truth of Old Photographs appeared first on Photo Mail.

Remembering Punalur Rajan

PhotoMail — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 13:16:19 +0000

Punalur Rajan was an enigma – a mystery that requires further unfolding. He was an important person in the history of contemporary Kerala. In the time to come, we will be forced to look back to his photographs – for his contribution is something that knows no bounds. He will live through the slices of history he has left behind. No words could ever fully represent the politics and ideology to which he dedicated his life. I leave my pranaams to this remarkable person with the question – what are we going to do now?

The post Remembering Punalur Rajan appeared first on Photo Mail.

The Long Walk to Home: A Critical Reading

PhotoMail — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 07:36:48 +0000

During the corona pandemic lockdown, India saw its migrant workers walk in an ardent will to reach the safety of their homes… History repeats itself, they say. Well, not exactly the same situation, but during Indian’s partition, thousands of Muslims and Hindus had to cross over – in search of a new home in unknown terrain. Seen through the photographic eyes of Margaret Bourke-White and Sunil Janah – the horrifying events of Indian Partition 1947 comes alive – once again in the Corona days – much more violent, cruel, and gruesome. It is a stark reminder that even after 70 and odd years of independence, India still has not healed itself of poverty, inequality, and oppression.

The post The Long Walk to Home: A Critical Reading appeared first on Photo Mail.

ഇന്ത്യൻ ഫോട്ടോഗ്രഫി: ചില ചിതറിയ ചിന്തകൾ

PhotoMail — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 08:32:29 +0000

അദ്ദേഹം തന്റെ ഈ പുസ്തകത്തിൽ അവതരിപ്പിച്ച ഫോട്ടോഗ്രാഫുകൾ ഇന്ത്യൻ ഭൂതകാലത്തെ ആഘോഷിക്കുന്നതും, കൊളോണിയൽ സാന്നിധ്യത്തെയും അവരുടെ നിർമിതികളെയും കേവലം ഒരു ചരിത്ര നിമിഷമായി പ്രാന്തവൽക്കരിക്കുന്നതുമായിരുന്നു. ഇന്ത്യൻ ഫോട്ടോഗ്രഫിയുടെ കൊളോണിയൽ കാഴ്ചകളെ അബ്ബാസ് അലി സമൃദ്ധമായി അട്ടമറിച്ചു. ഈ ബ്രേക്ക്‌ ആണ് കൊളോണിയൽ അനന്തര ഇന്ത്യൻ ഫോട്ടോഗ്രഫി തനത് നിലകളിൽ പിന്തുടർന്നത്. അങ്ങിനെ മറ്റെല്ലാ ഡിസ്‌സിപ്ലിൻ എന്ന പോലെ, ഫോട്ടോഗ്രഫി അതിന്റെ ദേശീയ സമര പാരമ്പര്യത്തിലേക്ക് തിരിഞ്ഞു. ദാദാ ഭായ് നവറോജിയിലൂടെ ഇന്ത്യൻ സമ്പദ്‌ശാസ്ത്രം ഉണ്ടായി വന്ന പോലെ, ഇന്ത്യൻ ഫോട്ടോഗ്രഫിയുടെ ഭഗത്സിങ് ആയിരുന്നു അബ്ബാസ് അലി എന്നു പറയാം.

The post ഇന്ത്യൻ ഫോട്ടോഗ്രഫി: ചില ചിതറിയ ചിന്തകൾ appeared first on Photo Mail.

Perspectives on Photography

PhotoMail — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 06:41:56 +0000

What we normally forget is that the lens of a camera sees more than the normal human eye is capable of. The clarity and the depth in a photographic image are taken for granted as we considered the camera as an extension of our eyes though what it sees is an abstracted or unperceivable image for the naked human eye. Seeing more or seeing in detail foregrounds the notion of abstraction because the form captured by the camera is only partially visible and its comprehension, in the normal course of our ways of seeing, is difficult.

The post Perspectives on Photography appeared first on Photo Mail.

വാക്കും നോക്കും

PhotoMail — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 04:29:18 +0000

വാക്കും നോക്കും | കവിതയും ഫോട്ടോഗ്രാഫിയും
PhotoMail presents a panoramic view of the art of photography's interaction and interrelation with other art mediums such as literature, architecture, and other visual media.

The post വാക്കും നോക്കും appeared first on Photo Mail.

In search of the lost home

PhotoMail — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 10:55:48 +0000

Across the world there are ongoing attempts to construct a ‘people’s history’ through photographs. Memory Projects, they are fondly called, focus mainly on the pre-digital era when photography was not as common as today. Bengali photographer Anandarup Goswami’s photography series ‘A Home of No Return’, though not directly linked with any memory project, shows certain resemblances with the latter’s style, and yet carries its own soul. A Home of No Return visually narrates the past and the present through a mixture of faded and fresh photographs.

The post In search of the lost home appeared first on Photo Mail.

Iconic Faces, Zooming into Raghu Rai’s photographic practice

PhotoMail — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 23:12:48 +0000

Portrait photography is one of the areas where Raghu Rai has displayed mastery, and where he has revealed his own deepest convictions about the medium. Photomail investigates photographs of four spiritual and political leaders made by Raghu Rai, seeking to find what patterns run beneath the surfaces of these images.

The post Iconic Faces, Zooming into Raghu Rai’s photographic practice appeared first on Photo Mail.

Indian Photo Festivals – Business As Usual | Part 2

PhotoMail — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 00:07:47 +0000

The Indian Photography Festival 2018 certainly leaves one wondering about what is so Indian about it; if it is, as claimed, only a geographical marker, how does one account for the large regions that are left unrepresented? One has to hazard a guess as to what really constitutes this Indianness, and if the claims are kept aside and the images surveyed, we are confronted with the truth of this Indianness – it is a construction rooted in what can be called a “global culture”, and can shape shift into whatever is needed of it.

The post Indian Photo Festivals – Business As Usual | Part 2 appeared first on Photo Mail.

Indian Photo Festivals – Business As Usual | Part 1

PhotoMail — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 07:22:11 +0000

Not to be left behind, the ‘Indian’ part of IPF peddles the same narratives that were used by the colonial empire – that of a beautiful land worthy of investment, and that of a people still struggling with modernity – albeit this time the narration is partially to itself, specifically to the modernized urban class.

The post Indian Photo Festivals – Business As Usual | Part 1 appeared first on Photo Mail.

A Sense of Dislocation

PhotoMail — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 07:17:59 +0000

Indian photography hasn’t seen many such explorations that interact and intersect with other media such as light art. But this has started to change in the last couple of years, with a few photographers trying to do light painting; and it is in this context that Joyel K Pious and Gaurav Rachamalla’s collaborative photo project becomes striking. Although this style is popular in the west, this collaborative project stands tall and distinctive amidst the usual Indian street and documentary photographs. It probes the philosophical underpinnings that are intrinsic to the medium itself as well as pose several questions related to urbanisation.

The post A Sense of Dislocation appeared first on Photo Mail.

On Ajith Nedumangad’s Photographs

PhotoMail — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 22:16:37 +0000

It is the sheer absurdity of the sculptures created and photographed by Ajith that hits the viewer right from the off – juxtapositions (reminiscent of the Dadaists and Surrealists) in which materials and the forms they are used to create are often in conflict with each other and, at other times, are self-referential in a darkly humorous manner.

The post On Ajith Nedumangad’s Photographs appeared first on Photo Mail.

Indian Photography’s (Conceptual) Poverty and Reality

PhotoMail — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 09:19:08 +0000

Alessio Mamo’s series of photographs titled ‘Dreaming Food’ was shot in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 2011, in which he tried to illustrate the contrast in the manner food was wasted in the West “especially at Christmas time”, and the widespread poverty that he saw in parts of India. The series was exhibited in Delhi Photography Festival in 2013, but when he posted images from the series during his takeover of World Press Photo’s Instagram handle as one of its awardees of 2018, a public debate erupted around the nature of his work and its political correctness. WPP has since issued a statement in which it clarifies the guidelines for its Instagram takeover, which is a benefit given to its award winners. But Indian print and online media subsequently took up the issue and it has been given wide coverage, with experts, photographers, and commentators weighing in from all sides. Now that all the arguments for and against have been brought out, PhotoMail takes a look at this issue in the broader context of poverty representation in India.

The post Indian Photography’s (Conceptual) Poverty and Reality appeared first on Photo Mail.

Homomorphism II

PhotoMail — Sat, 21 Jul 2018 23:37:07 +0000

The LGBTQ community has found for itself public spaces in urban regions. We will wait and see what they want to tell the world from that space. After all, solidarity with the cause does not mean solidarity with the acts, and it is time for the community to begin to act convincingly. This exhibition is a good starting point, and further on, there is a desperate need for clarity on the part of the activist-artists.

The post Homomorphism II appeared first on Photo Mail.

Derailed Camera, remembering John Abraham

PhotoMail — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 04:51:26 +0000

John Abraham joined the Odessa group that comprised of 75 members, using the money collected from the people, travel from Wayanad to Kochi and Amma Ariyan develops, parallel to the political history of Kerala. The public, apart from giving money, were also involved in the film production. They did it voluntarily, with a lot of enthusiasm. The screenplay and dialogues were written then and there, and shot. Commercial actors didn’t play a major role in this movie.

The post Derailed Camera, remembering John Abraham appeared first on Photo Mail.

men of pukar malayalam

PhotoMail — Mon, 28 May 2018 05:01:43 +0000

പുഹാറിന്റെ പുരുഷന്മാർ - സമയത്തിന്റെ കുതിപ്പും ഫോട്ട

The post men of pukar malayalam appeared first on Photo Mail.

Of art, and/in Toilets

PhotoMail — Mon, 21 May 2018 07:14:15 +0000

The selling point of the exhibition as it currently stands is the technique of pinhole photography itself, and the evidence of the technique in these images lies solely in the tonal identity and distortions, most of which in fact can be recreated in a digital environment and by itself are not enough to provide an affirmation of the chemical or physical techniques used. What survives then is only the attestation of the photographer, and in effect, the art object gets its value from this textual affirmation.

The post Of art, and/in Toilets appeared first on Photo Mail.

Existential Crisis in Post Colonial Indian Photography

PhotoMail — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 06:04:49 +0000

Not surprisingly, Indian photographers were greatly impressed by Cartier-Bresson's “popular” style and followed suit, stalking the streets. Like master, like students; and it is only natural for knowledge to be transpired across cultures in this manner. Only that this popular aesthetics of street photography has been considered déclassé in the postmodern context, and the questions around its ethics remain unresolved. Sadly, even now the most celebrated photographs of post-colonial India are street photographs and there is a continuing market for this genre of photographs at the International platforms.

The post Existential Crisis in Post Colonial Indian Photography appeared first on Photo Mail.

Photographic Inscriptions of Tiruvannamalai

PhotoMail — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 05:40:57 +0000

Photographic mapping of Tiruvannamalai has always been a daunting task, due to its complex culture, and previous works done by prominent international photographers like Eliot Elisofon, and Henri Cartier-Bresson after him. The photographs of Ramana and the Annamalaiyar temple, which were published in Life magazine and Magnum, have established them as the most prominent identifiers of the town, making any previous attempts (if any, at all) to create a visual catalogue of a Tiruvannamalai that lay outside these stereotypes, all but indiscernible.

The post Photographic Inscriptions of Tiruvannamalai appeared first on Photo Mail.

The Meaning of Photography and, therefore, of Victor George

PhotoMail — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 10:40:30 +0000

Victor George looked for meaning in rain, not formal beauty or abstraction. Instances of abstraction are sporadically seen in his photographs – such as a massive raincloud which looks like a wash of purple-grey – but are always marred by a concrete, meaningful, identifiable figure – in the aforementioned case, a flying bird occupies the centre of attention of the image, and discernible clouds are seen in the background, giving the image concreteness.

The post The Meaning of Photography and, therefore, of Victor George appeared first on Photo Mail.

Power, Democracy and ‘Other’ Women

PhotoMail — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 04:45:34 +0000

Photography, after the Second World War and McCarthyism, was consciously pushed into the sanitised spaces of Art galleries and Museums away from its past as a concerned, conscience-pricking tool. We were told by institutional gatekeepers like the Museum of Modern Art in New York that Photography was only about Itself. It was an Art form that was about navel-gazing photographers and about flattened formalist fields. Photography was not supposed to exist outside its own frame.

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Stills Still to Fade, Immortal images of NL Balakrishnan

PhotoMail — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 21:25:45 +0000

Does a photo carry a meaning? Like a memory which has a meaning, photo doesn’t in itself have a meaning. Stills don’t speak but they are not dead as such. They evoke memories and memory evokes the meaning behind the image.
- NL Balakrishnan

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Metamorphosis by Shanthi Kasi

PhotoMail — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 02:12:55 +0000

Walls have been featured as subjects, or at least as integral parts of broader subjects, by many artists across various media, owing to its metaphorical significance, its role as a visual and spatial block, and also what its surface holds. Shanthi Kashi’s concern is the surface of these walls, on which the artist observes patterns, forms, and colours and composes them to achieve – not necessarily literal – meaning. Shot in Mumbai and Bangalore, Shanthi also merges an abstract language with some very real phenomena related to the individual, geography and society through the presence of moisture, decay, erasure and abandonment.

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Elements and Fragments, Uncovering Narratives of a Temple Town

PhotoMail — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 22:55:18 +0000

Inasmuch, every photographer that ever visited Tiruvannamalai never took notice about anything other than Ramana and the Annamalaiyar temple – their eyes glossing over everything else and their focus devoted entirely to the two ‘divine’ icons. But, there remains a Tiruvannamalai beyond, which has gone unnoticed and undocumented – invisible to the colonial gaze that is pre-occupied with its exotic fairy tales, and underwhelming for the photojournalist due to its perceived mundane-ness.

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நேர்கோட்டின் வளைவுகள்அபுல் கலாம் ஆசாத்தின் சங்ககால புகாரின் சமகாலங்கள்

PhotoMail — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 04:31:17 +0000

ஒரு கைதேர்ந்த சிற்பி, சிற்பத்தின் எல்லா பாகங்களையும் வடித்த பின்பு, ஒரு மௌன நிலையில் அதன் கண்களை திறப்பார். அப்பொழுது, அந்த சிற்பம் உயிர் பெரும். அபுலுக்கும், புகைப்படம் எடுக்கப்பட்டவருக்குமிடையே நடக்கும் உரையாடல் தான் அவரது புகைப்படங்களின் உயிரோட்டம். இவை, உலக நாடுகளோடு கலாச்சார வாழ்வியல், வர்த்தக பரிமாற்றங்களில் சிறப்புப்பெற்ற சங்கக்கால புகாரின் சுவடுகளைத் தேடவில்லை. அந்த பரிமாற்றங்கள் விட்டுச்சென்றுள்ள ஒன்றுபட்ட கலாச்சாரம் மற்றும் பன்முக வாழ்வுமுறையின் குறியீடுகளை அடையாளம் காண்கிறது. சாதாரண மனிதர்களின் சரித்திரத்தை புகாரின் ஆண்கள் மூலமாக சொல்லும் காலத்தால் அழியாத இந்தப்படைப்பு, வரும் காலத்தில் புகார், உலக கலாச்சார வரைபடத்தில் இடம்பெற, ஒரு கலைஞன் விட்டுச்செல்லும் விதைகள்.

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Men of Pukar: Narrating the non-narrative

PhotoMail — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 03:29:13 +0000

Abul Kalam Azad's ‘Men of Pukar’ does not try to ‘re-narrate’ Ilango’s Kaveripattinam but Azad has his own heroes and heroines and more often he cuts his depth of focusing short in order to present them within the discursive premises where the incongruity between the history and present day condition of the place is felt. He neither tries to document the relics of the past glory (if there is anything at all) nor claims his images to be that of some ‘historical’ moments. Instead, he allows viewers to delve into the ‘image-space’ for some cultural codes which would help them to re-read the historical narratives in multiple ways.

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Interview With Pulavar N. Thyagarajan

PhotoMail — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 21:55:49 +0000

Pulavar N Thiagarajan is a poet, writer, political activist and amateur photographer. Thiagarajan was brought up in Poompukar, and has completed his matriculation in Poompukar, and further pursued a course under Madras University. Thiagarajan learnt English and Tamil from school, and developed each through personal reading and study. He soon joined the Tamil Manila Congress (TMC), and fondly remembers meeting Gandhi at Mayavaram (presently Mayiladuthurai). He was active in the freedom struggle and continued to work with the Congress after Independence. A noted poet and writer, the most significant book that he has published is Poompukar Varalatru Yechangal, which is an academic book on the history of Poompukar. His journey in photography began in the 1940s and he has photographed the town and nearby areas, focussing on the temples, temple art, gatherings and landscapes. Ekalokam Trust for Photography, a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting and promoting contemporary photography, is presently archiving the analogue photographs made by N Thiagarajan.

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Kalpathy Car Festival

PhotoMail — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 09:56:09 +0000

The Kalpathy festival is held over a period of 10 days, such that the last day of the festival falls on the 1st day of Vrischikam (Karthika) month. Vrishchikam is a period of rituals and festivals in many places, notably Sabarimala and Tiruvannamalai. Today, the Kalpathy festival is attended by many communities apart from the Tamil Brahmins, although the festival is conducted by the residents of new and old Kalpathy, and Chathapuram. Much like the rest of Palakkad, the Kalpathy festival has allowed for a mixture of what could be called the Chera culture and the Pandyan culture.

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Manigramam, Prehistoric Merchant Guild of Tamil Legacy

PhotoMail — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 20:34:32 +0000

The existence of Manigramam (Manikkiramam) in Pukar, in this context, is an important surviving evidence of our shared lineage. As literary sources attest, Pukar was one of the gateways through which the Afro-Arabian traders entered Southern India. This simple board points to three thousand and odd years of cultural exchange that happened across borders.

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Zachariah D’Cruz and the Act of Photographing a Progressive Travancore

PhotoMail — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 08:57:00 +0000

Zachariah D’Cruz is not an oft-mentioned name in the context of Indian photography, and his images circulate in India, especially Kerala, without his name being mentioned as the author. It is easiest to describe him as a government photographer of the Travancore kingdom, whose most popular and most visible work today consists of a collection of 76 images titled “Album of South Indian Views”, which was gifted to Lord Curzon1 on his visit to Travancore, and which is now in the possession of the British Library.

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Interview with Punalur Rajan

PhotoMail — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 04:42:55 +0000

Punalur Rajan is a now-retired photographer who was one of the first photographers in Kerala who popularized the social documentary genre. Rajan is most recognized for his portraits of litterateurs, politicians and cine-personalities. Rajan’s photography can be described as being an offshoot of the same thought that produced Sunil Janah. The Communist Party was an integral driving force in both of their careers and in their photographic practice. A reflection of Sunil Janah’s impact in the national level can be seen in the influence of Rajan in a regional level. Photographing notable personalities, especially literary icons, was a trend that was and continues to be widespread in Kerala, supported by the many weekly and daily publications that wanted these photographs. Such images were largely attempted by journalistic photographers, rather than studio photographers, despite portraiture not being an area of specialization for most of them. Rajan’s skill in portraiture is what set him apart from the other photographers who have indulged in this genre over the years.

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Sacred Thread, Hierarchal hegemony and identity

PhotoMail — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 02:49:53 +0000

Controversy surrounds the origin of Brahmin clans, which is divided into ‘gotras’, and as such mutually opposing thoughts and evidences – both scriptural and historical – are put forth by the differing factions. As far as South India is concerned, the Tamil Brahmins and their Vedic ideas started spreading during the period when Buddhism and Jainism was gaining popularity (around 5th century BCE).

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An Enigma Held in High Disregard, or KRISHNA REDDY

PhotoMail — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 01:04:14 +0000

Krishna Reddy’s engagements and activism during his youth was informed by a compulsion to overturn the established order. The Indian struggle for independence was gaining momentum during this period, with Mahatma Gandhi calling for the complete end to British rule in India – and Reddy joined the protests. Following Reddy’s involvement with the Quit India Movement, for which he printed hundreds of posters and was jailed a couple of times, he moved to Santiniketan – where, under the tutelage of Nandalal Bose, Benode Behari Mukherjee, and Ramkinkar Baij, he studied sculpture and water colour.

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Palmyra, Caste system in India

PhotoMail — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 20:43:49 +0000

In South India, coconut palm and palmyra tapping was practiced by the indigenous population who, later during the process of class/caste consolidation, were called the Shanars (Channars). These early settlers considered Palmyra as the single most miraculous tree and were the largest consumers of its products. Scaling a Palmyra, which can grow up to 100 feet, is a rather specialized job done by the men.

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Gaze, Metaphor of Indian farming

PhotoMail — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 02:29:53 +0000

In this photograph, the farmer is not the one who is gazed upon. He is actually returning the gaze. There is an act of seeing and being seen. He becomes more present with an unspoken communication that is transpiring between the photographer and himself. There is a connection, an intimate relation between them.

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Parathavar, Etymology of Naval Force

PhotoMail — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 20:41:18 +0000

The life of fishermen has a certain rhythm and the timings are in tune with nature – the weather, the water current, the movement and the life cycle of fishes. They all go and return at different times - the modern day ‘nine to five routine’ is not applicable here. For example, the crab catchers usually go during the late evening to spread their nets. They would go back again in the early morning to collect their catch.

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Cauvery, River Valley Civlisation

PhotoMail — Sun, 27 Aug 2017 10:17:53 +0000

River Cauvery - the lifeline of South India – that traverses through all the four states and Puducherry Union territory is personified as a goddess/woman. Several rituals, along her course, have been practiced since pre-historic times. The most important amongst them are the ones conducted at the mouth where the river merges with the infinite ocean – the end of a journey often analogized with the journey of a human life.

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Interview with Selvaprakash Lakshmanan

PhotoMail — Sun, 27 Aug 2017 09:41:18 +0000

Selvaprakash Lakshmanan is an independent photographer based in Bangalore. He earned his Masters in Communication from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli (2000 - 2002). In the year 2002, he started his career in photography as a staff photographer for Dinamalar, a leading Tamil newspaper and has later worked with Dinakaran, DNA and Time Out Magazine. His photographs have been published in leading National and International newspapers and magazines and exhibited in photo festivals. In this exclusive interview, he is sharing his work life and thoughts on photography.

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