HYDERABAD: She loves to travel around the world, gaze at nature’s beauties, write poetry and photograph everything and anything that catches her interest. Suneetha Ravulapally recently combined all these interests to bring out a book of photographs with captions in poetry called Prakruthiloniki Prayaanam (Journey into Nature) in Telugu. As the title suggests, the book is on the splendours of nature.
The book was released by Madhushudanachari, Speaker, Telangana Assembly. It was dedicated to Suneetha’s father Puvvada Nageshwara Rao. The book contains over a 100 photographs shot over the past 25 years in Europe, USA, Australia, New Zealand and of course, India too. Explains Suneetha: “These were based on my personal trips to these places. Some of the trips were undertaken as a solo female traveller. I find travel and visiting new places as well as meeting new people and acquainting myself with new cultures and lifestyles all very exciting.
Even solo travel is thrilling and challenging. I have always found the locals to be helpful and friendly! I used to receive a lot of respect in many countries when I told them I was a writer.” What was her inspiration for turning photographer? Suneetha replies: “My children triggered my interest. When my children were newborns and later young children I wanted to capture the precious moments of their growing-up years so I first turned photographer. I realised that the same innocence and purity of children is also found in nature. Hence I was drawn to taking photographs of pristine landscapes.”
Suneetha became one of the earliest female photographers in south India to have her solo photography show. This was in 2004 and was held in Hyderabad and inaugurated by the then-chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu. Suneetha has other talents too. She is a writer and poet too. She is also a social worker having been inspired by her politician-father. She regularly contributes articles and poems to various Telugu publications.
She has a book of poetry to her credit titled Anveshi. Talking about the current scene in the field of photography, she says: “Photography is an art and requires great skill. Great pictures are about shooting something that moves you or arouses a deep feeling.” She rues that nowadays there is less attention to this aspect and more focus on the technical aspects. The latter is indeed important but it should come after the feeling or the mood of the photograph, she opines.
When asked about her future plans, she replies with a smile: “I don’t believe in too much planning. I like to savour the moment and enjoy the present time as much as one can.”
When pressed for an answer, she adds: “I have thousands of unpublished photographs.
I may bring out another book on another theme like people, for example. I also want to devote more time to gardening which is another hobby of mine. I love tending to my garden at the outskirts of the city. Being surrounded by plants is a wonderful feeling and very refreshing to mind and body. My yoga practice is another therapy.” Prakruthiloniki Prayaanam has 120 pages and is priced at Rs 1,000 and published by Neetha Publications and distributed by Navodaya Book House.