Shooting the Theyyam

praveendev — Wed, 2 Jan 2013 03:25:00 GMT

The photographs presented are taken at Ashtamanchal Baghavathi Temple, Payyannoor, Kannur, Kerala, India between 22nd-24th April 2012. The yearly celebrations where held at the temple during this time and I was fortunate to witness the local legend.

Theyyam is unique, since only in northern Kerala, it exists as a major form of worship.
The term Theyyam means Deyvam or God. Few selected men wear an extravagant make-up to potray themselves as living Gods
People of these districts consider Theyyam itself as a God and they seek blessings from this Theyyam.

One thing that fascinated me throughout my journey was the transformation of Theyyam performers (men) into Bhagavathi (Mother Goddess).
In a male dominated society, men taking up the form and spirit of a feminine grace was a rare sight for me.

Photos: "Theyyam" dancing God's of Kerala, India.

praveendev — Wed, 2 Jan 2013 00:44:00 GMT

I have always felt Photography as fine art has infinite possibilities of story telling. The moment I glanced at Henri Cartier Bresson's work, it touched me immediately. The dialog between the viewer and the world he is capturing, the process leads to knowledge and understanding. Psychology tells us "We see what we want to" or "The world we see exists only in our mind's eye" A story told through our unique vision encapsulates our philosophy about life and invites the viewer to interpret his version. I work for an animation studio which creates feature films. My job is to do Lighting and compositing in a virtual setup. Real life stories appeal and make me contemplate like no other. Hence I have decided to become a Travel photographer. Curiosity and Empathy drives me out into the world like a true wanderer. Hinduism advises "Vanaprastham" to everyone after a certain age. It means to renounce materialistic comfort in search of spiritual wisdom. I think photography too is a journey through the materialistic, yet surpassing the object to find the spiritual essence in everything. An expert like Jason Edwards can bring the best out of me by guiding me through his knowledge and experience. sincerely, praveen dev