KOCHI: For Dipin Augustine, travelling is an addiction. The graphics designer-cum-travel writer has journeyed across the length and breadth of India and then some over the past decade. He has chronicled these experiences in a corpus of more than 2,000 photographs, but only a curated selection is being exhibited at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery. This was done through a grant by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi.
Dipin’s pictures weave a visual saga of the spellbinding vibrancy of the country. The earthy apricot hues of Varanasi are matched by the inky green of Kerala’s verdurous landscape.
“I try to infuse life into all the pictures I take. They should speak to the viewer and incite an urge to travel to the places they see on the wall,” says Dipin, whose foray into photography happened by chance. “I started blogging about my travels 11 years ago. Then people who read my blog suggested that I post pictures of the places I wrote about. That is how I started taking photographs. In the beginning, I had no idea about composition or lighting. I would just click. So I am not a professional by any means, my art is self-taught,” he adds.
All 75 images displayed seem like they are right out of a picture postcard. Dipin does not shy away from playing with vivid colours. They appear to be taken precisely because of the frame’s striking luminance. Nor is he wary of dramatic compositions. His angles are usually imposing. “My attempt is to document the raw feel of India, which is why I take the local transport where ever I go and try to stay at a friend’s home when possible. I travel once in three months, mostly alone and on a limited budget. The last place I went to was the Kumbh Mela in February,” says Dipin.
He started travelling to overcome depression, and his first trip was to Ladakh in 2008. He notes that it healed him in a way nothing else could do. Thus, he made travel a part of his life. “I chose my profession as a graphic designer because it gave me the freedom to travel,” he said. It is obvious that Dipin’s expeditions are crucial to his existence and his pictures, as the title of the exhibition suggests, it is nothing less than intoxicating.