Snap chat with TNIE lensman

TNIE Lensmen bring you their personal favourite frames and the stories behind them.

Image used for representational purpose.(Photo | Pexels)

KOCHI: On this day in 1839, the French government acquired a brand-new invention, the daguerreotype photographic process and gave it away as its “free gift to the world.” This was the catalyst for the rapid growth of photography the world over.

World Photography Day began as a journey to commemorate this event. It is a reminder that this visual medium is also an art form with the power to evoke emotions and create connections. Here, TNIE Lensmen bring you their personal favourite frames and the stories behind them.

T P Sooraj, Kochi 

Last October, I was out on a routine evening scan of what reporters call the “hustle and bustle” of the city. Stopping by at Kochi’s Marine Drive. I went about with the usual rat-a-tat of the camera, clicking the shimmering backwaters, tourists, buskers, street vendors, etc.  Nomadic children selling knick-knacks caught my eye. Something pricked me. As a father of a school-going boy, I was confronted with a disheartening reality. Even in this era, children were being forced to work, struggle to survive. One sight froze me. A little girl had passed out on the waterside parapet, with rupee notes in her hand. Her picture led to a photo story, titled ‘Children of a lesser god’, that sparked a strong response from readers and the Kerala High Court, which initiated a suo motu litigation and ordered action.

A Sanesh, Kochi 

It was searingly hot. Weather and politics. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to attend the Yuvam 2023 youth conclave last April in Thevara, Kochi. There was uncertainty on whether Modi would hold his trademark roadshow. There were threats and the political climate in the state did not seem favourable for a grand roadshow. Many believed Modi would not be able to pull off one akin to what he did in other parts of India. I walked on the PM’s travel route for hours under the blazing sun. Most photographers headed to the main venue. Some mocked me for staying back, quipping that Modi might stop his car on seeing me. I ignored the jibes, staring at the mirage over the bitumen. Well, Modi came, and he did stop his black SUV in front of me. He went on to walk for about a kilometre amid petal showers. And I got to do a surgical strike!

B P Deepu, Thiruvananthapuram

It’s a pic I clicked about 12 months ago. I came across a published photo of plant growth on a traffic signal post at Vellayambalam in the capital city. On observing, a small nest under the shade of the traffic lights piqued my interest. I kept visiting the spot for several days. I waited for hours to get the ‘perfect shot’. Veterans of the trade say fortune has to favour one to get all components right in a frame. This was one such click in my career. Everything fell into place perfectly – the two mynas flying away from the green signal arrow. I must have clicked hundreds of shots to get the right one at the end. Whenever I see this pic, I am reminded: perseverance does pay. 

E Gokul, Kozhikode  

A day after his passing on October 1 last year, CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s mortal remains were placed at Thalassery Town Hall in Kannur for the public to pay homage. There was a massive gathering. And alone in the crowd sat CM Pinarayi Vijayan beside the casket. He was consumed by grief. People had never seen him in such a state. He remained seated in stoic silence for hours, gazing at his dear comrade. To me, the frame, though phlegmatic in appearance, screams out a myriad of stories 
and memories. 

Vincent Pulickal, Thiruvananthapuram 

In October last year, social activist Dayabayi had gone on an indefinite hunger strike in front of the Secretariat to urge the government to provide adequate medical care to the endosulfan victims. She had an unexpected visitor in an ailing Oommen Chandy. All were surprised, considering his ill health. The former CM had dropped in just to express solidarity with her strike. He later took up the issue and sent a fax to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeking his intervention. The last mile is the hardest, they say. This photo captures how Chandy pushed himself on his final stretch as a ‘man of the masses’.