Kodaikanal

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Wednesday, September 1, 2010 | flickr photos

While adults have the power to change the environment they live in (for better or worse), children simply mirror their surroundings. Not knowing how to insulate themselves, their susceptibility makes them the most honest story-tellers. This is why I have tried to explore Kodaikanal (a town in South India) via the lives of its children.

A writer by profession, I now wish to get a foothold in the photojournalism industry. What sets me apart is my innate obsession to pursue my visions. When I get hooked by an idea, my entire cosmos revolves around it. Few things matter then. One such idea, for instance, was to spend a month in Taiwan to document the saxophone industry of a small town. No sponsors, no contacts, only a brief knowledge of a subculture in an alien country. Getting the entire logistics in order single-handedly took months, and it’s the same ‘obsession’ that saw me through and I spent the early part of this year realising my vision.

I believe that I am excusive, and that my perspective is unique. And I take pictures because photography helps me reinforce this very belief. It’s almost addictive – the inexplicable high that I feel when I capture a moment titillating enough to force attention-deficit individuals to spend a few seconds staring at it.

Apart from documenting many cities and subcultures across India, the highlight of my photography pursuits was entering the finals of Better Photography magazine’s annual awards and travelling to Singapore for the finale. I didn’t win, but surely made some life-long friends. And it’s this very aspect of photography that lures me to it. Every day, I grow, meet people and collect memories. It’s a new life every day.