CHENNAI: W hen it comes to photography, Achuthanand Ravi needs no introduction. A well-known face among photography buffs and members of Photographic Society, he is known for his hard hitting images (documentary photos). This young photographer is the founder of the famous Madras in Motion photography group in Chennai. He has the credit of receiving a grant from UNESCO and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the documentary on visually-challenged people. Also, his documentaries on Mahakumbh and Life in Indian Circus had the honour of getting featured in BBC. Here is his take on god and spirituality:
Do you believe in god?
Yes, I have always been a believer of god. To put it nicely I got genetically programmed to believe in god!
Where do you see god?
I see the spirit of god in people around me and others. I see it in the way he brings us all together, different individuals, different qualities and loads of takeaway from each individual.
A quirky habit or trait that you have being a spiritual or god believing person?
Whenever I step out from my home, be it to office or to a party, I leave my place with vibudhi on my forehead. It’s funny, but I got used to it and is a habit now.
If you had two wishes to ask for (to god) what would it be?
I would ask god to come again with three more wishes before I die and also ask for a peaceful mind and life.
If you had to connect photography and god, how would you describe it?
I see wonderful things through my viewfinder, be it laughter of a newborn, rain or sunrise. That is God.
Do you believe in miracles?
Kumbh Mela is a miracle. I happened to stay with the head of naga sadhus and he told about my past and future that’s almost 95% correct. It was scary though.