K Venkatesh – The photographer who treads the unusual path

ENARADA, Bengaluru, November 24, 2014

There are great photographers and there are photographers who make great difference to the subject that they handle.

Bangalore-freelance news photographer K  Venkatesh  with impeccable credentials  as a photographer who walks  the unusual path, certainly comes in the second category of photographers.  What set him apart from the rest of his ilk is that his photographs exhibit the humane approach he has towards people and issues which are either ignored or overlooked by others.

It is this unique eye for something atypical that made Venkatesh to shift his focus from news photographs.  The result has been mind boggling and  has been there for everyone to see through his photographs which speak volumes of the subjects and the individuals of his theme.  He has held 15 exhibitions of his photographs in the last 11 years on diverse   topics that call for our attention. In the last week of October this year an exhibition of his photographs was held at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath titled “Fringes of Civilization”, giving us a rare glimpse of the women of  the Halalkki Vokkaliga community and their distinctive jewellery and clothes.  The Halalkki Vokkaliga tribe is found in interior parts of Uttara and Dakshina Kannada and parts of Shimoga.  The tribe is fighting a losing battle as their culture and tradition is on the on the wane.

Be it our disappearing culture, unique traditions and customs,   our changing priorities, our materialistic approach, the bias we show towards those whom we consider not normal, some vanishing tribes and their struggle to come to terms with modernity – has awakened the curiosity in Venkatesh.   Being a photographer who has been on the lookout for something beyond the mundane he has captured some of the themes through his lens to draw our attention and also to educate us.  Every year he chooses a topic, does extensive research on its feasibility, expediency and then goes about capturing the images to synchronise with his theme.

Speaking to Enarada.com Venkatesh pointed out that these days priorities have undergone changes and with that the media approach also has changed drastically in the last two decades.  “Today there is a clamour only for sensationalism and in the din the media has lost its focus. Humanity has lost its sense of values and today we live in a world of relativism.  I wanted to go deeper into what is happening around us and capture the reality”.

K.Venkatesh during his recent exhibition,’Fringes of Civilization,’ Halakki Vokkaligaru – Charmed by tribal jewellery. Photo by ENARADA.COM

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That is why his 15 photographic exhibitions were on diverse subjects  like transgender as models,  capturing the splendour of the ruins of Hampi  from the point of view of a transgender equating them as the 8^th wonder, capturing the beauty of the remains of Bidar   with a transgender comparing herself to the stones of the monument in ruins, our changing attitude towards  elders  through the subject old age homes,  explaining nature’s fury with  his capturing  the devastation of Tsunami,  capturing the essence of the ornate jewellery worn by Lambanis,  the rustic women of Tamilnadu and also the Halakki women of the Vokkaliga community, the efforts of a youth to give a dignity of death to the orphan dead  and many more.

“Through these photographs I wanted to draw the attention of the public.  People were greatly moved by seeing the pictures of unclaimed bodies, the orphans of Tsunami and destruction it caused, the plight of the old, the discrimination of transgender community and the havoc caused by liberalisation.  I have tried to educate the people through these photos”, explains Venkatesh.

Reward for Patience 

Venkatesh says he loves the challenge that comes with handling distinctive subjects.   While six months are reserved for research on the topic the remaining six months are spent doing ground work and finally the shooting.  For example to take pictures of Halakki Okkaliga women it took really six months for him to finally get the green signal.    He had to take the services of a intermediary of the community and make it clear to the community that the main aim is to give a glimpse of their unique tradition, dress and jewellery to the people and also preserve it for posterity as the trend is vanishing among the tribe.   His perseverance paid off because he was able to capture those beautiful pictures of the true innocence and the subtle but unabashed beauty through his camera.

He believes patience is essential for a photographer who deals with distinctive subjects.   He also says that the outcome of the photographs depends on the mood of the photographer.

For the younger generation his advice is that  they should  move out from the chock-full atmosphere of city life and go scouting for interesting subjects in the outskirts.  “I believe the essence or soul of India is in its rural area and photographers should try to be innovative, creative and treat every subject with a human angle.  They have to think out of the box.  Taking pictures is not a big challenge.  But finding human interest and human element is the key”, Venkatesh reasons.

The subject that really touched the core of his heart and the memories of which send shivers down his spine is the Tsunami that hit the coast of Chennai. “I can never forget the effects of Tsunami which only reminds me that nature is very powerful”, he declares.  Most of Venkatesh’s photographs are in black and white because he feels that is the real photography and he likes the subtleness of the shades or tones black and white photographs can have.

Venkatesh 49, is a bachelor and he says being single has given him more freedom to plan his schedule and go about his task without any hindrances.  He says he has been fortunate to see the best of both sides of India as a photographer – the India before   liberalisation and the India post liberalisation – the India   known for its human values and the India which is giving up its ethos and the essence of her age old customs in the face of modernity.