THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was the trip of a lifetime. A journey to the land of extremes, to the southern tip of the planet, to Antarctica. A group of 20 people from different streams as diverse as photography, journalism and business embarked on a journey to the land of ice shelves, a trip that would change their lives forever. Their memories remain etched in frames and the Museum Hall in the city is bursting with snaps that the team captured while on their journey.
A glorious landscape dotted with icebergs and sunlight daubed in myriad shades of gold greets the visitors as they enter the hall. It is a picture snapped from Lemaire Channel, famously called the ‘Kodak Gap’ as it is a highly photogenic slice of land where nature puts on a show. And the journey begins, taking you to Antarctica, transporting you through the magnificent life forms and ethereal landscapes which are captured with such beauty and finesse that one wonders if it is heaven indeed.
Noted wildlife photographer Balan Madhavan who led the expedition says it was a ‘humbling’ experience and made him understand the enormity of nature. “These pictures are going to haunt you. They will instill in you a dream to travel. And that is exactly what I want,” said Balan.
Moreover, he adds people need to appreciate photography as an art form. “Buy pictures that you like and not reprints,” he adds. The journey started when he announced on his Facebook page that he was going to Antarctica. Soon he was flooded with queries and many others joined.
“It was more of a spiritual journey which made me realise we are just a tiny little speck in this universe,” said Meera Sanal Kumar, whose photographs are also on display. The exhibition features the snaps of nine photographers who were part of the 20-member team that journeyed to the icy southern part of the globe last January.
The other photographers whose snaps have put on display are Deepu Ravi, Harikrishnan, Venugopalakrishnan, Ramesh Vishwanath, Manehar, Sudheer B, Jayson and Kunjikrishnan.
As one leaves only one thought freezes in the mind, ‘visit Antarctica’.