KOCHI: Santhosh Kumar is a regular on the picturesque banks of Vellayani lake in Thiruvananthapuram. Trudging around with his polio-affected right leg, the 37-year-old Kovalam native can be seen zooming his camera lens on life around the placid water body.
A fisherman casting his net at dawn, a woman carrying a bunch of grass on her head, sun rays glistening on the lake surface, meditating water birds… Santhosh has been capturing the essence of Vellayani over the past 10 years. He calls his collections ‘Kayal Photography’.
Besides the scenic beauty, there is something about Vellayani that Santhosh is passionate about: the micro world of insects and other small organisms in the lake’s ecosystem. Every day, he embarks on a quest to explore the minute-yet-relevant species that thrive here.
“People travel into the wild to capture rare insect species. Since travelling afar was difficult for me, I decided to focus on organisms in nearby ecosystems,” says Santhosh, who recently underwent three surgeries on his right leg to treat a vein block.
It was serendipity, he adds. “Once when I went out to click some pictures in the morning, an insect sat on my hand,” recalls Santhosh. “I moved my hand slowly against the sunlight – it appeared marvellous to me. I was fascinated, and wanted to showcase such tiny, obscure beauties of nature.”
He gushes on the amazing species that he has ‘befriended’ so far: xylocopa sonorina (carpenter bee), Spirama indenta, lepidoptera, papilio demoleus, tumbling flower beetle, jelly fungus exidia glandulosa… the list is long.
Santhosh’s close-up shots of insects reveal how diverse the Vellayani ecosystem is. And many of his frames – detailing the phenomenal designs of the small wonders – have been used for scientific studies as well.
“I click anything that piques my interest. Then, I check for basic details using Google Lens. Then I would post them on Facebook,” he says.
“It was the principal adviser for inclusive education in Andhra Pradesh, Ram Kamal, who first identified that my images can be used for scientific research. He sends them to several publications, bird watchers and entomologist groups that specialise in studying butterflies and moths.”
Ram says Santhosh is a “keen observer”. “I send his frames to national and international groups,” he adds. “Then we study whether the species were identified in India before, place and period of previous sightings, etc.” He recalls that Santhosh’s photograph of a carpenter bee when studied, revealed that it was rarely found in Kerala. Similar was the case of Arctornis I-nigrum, a moth that is commonly found in North Africa, the Himalayas.
To capture rare species, Santhosh heads out early in the morning. “I reach the lake by about 5:45 am. During this time, the insects rest on leaves and bark. They get hyperactive past 8 am,” he says. Santhosh, who lives with his mother on a one-cent (435sq.ft) plot, says financial struggles hamper his dreams.
He adds that initially, he used a rented camera for his explorations. “Later, the owner of Camera Scan shop in Kottayam, Abey K George, gifted me a DSLR,” he says. “Photography is my passion. I wish to conduct exhibitions, conduct classes, and spread awareness on species that people usually tend to overlook.”