Portrait of a lensman
RADHAKRISHNAN KUTTOOR
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Rajesh Ramachandran has a passion for photographing wildlife and art forms
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PICTURE PERFECT: Rajesh Ramachandran's shots of some of his favourite subjects.
"Once we had a very close encounter with a tiger in Bandhav Ghat in Madhya Pradesh. After wandering for two days in the woods of Bandhav Ghat on elephant back, we came across a tiger in the interior grasslands. As the camera shutters flicked continuously, I prompted the mahout to take the elephant as close as we could to the tiger. The moment we were barely four feet from the tiger, it leapt up, tail straightened ready to charge. It looked very ferocious. The pachyderm too was in no mood to back off, and for a moment we were at a loss as to what to do. Thank God! The Bihari mahout managed to stop the elephant from advancing, averting a tragedy," recalls Rajesh Ramachandran of his photographic expedition three years ago.
The 31-year-old photographer who has a passion for capturing nature, portraits and different art forms in natural light is preparing to participate in international photo exhibitions that will be held in France, Australia and Cambodia in 2006.
Wildlife photography
Recalling his adventures while out photographing in the reserve forests of Parambikkulam in Kerala and Bandhav Ghat in Madhya Pradesh, Rajesh says "taking wildlife shots is really a thrilling experience." The shots of the tiger taken in Bandhav Ghat have won prizes and accolades for him at various international photo exhibitions. However, another assignment to shoot snaps of tigers in Parambikkulam was disappointing, he says.
He spent three days in the wilderness, braving heavy downpour. Rajesh has marks of tick bites as testimony to his photographic encounters in the wild. Besides wildlife photography, taking portraits and shooting art forms in natural light has always fascinated him. His love for capturing the expressions and mudras of different classical dances forms such as Mohiniyattom and Kathakali on film led to his marriage to a French danseuse Correne Mathou. Correne is in Kerala on a UNESCO scholarship to learn Indian classical dances.
Extensive travel
Rajesh is also the administrative officer of the Vinjana Kala Vedi, a centre for Indian art and dance forms instituted by Louba Schild, a French woman, in Aranmula. The Taj Mahal is also another favourite subject for Rajesh.
He has travelled extensively in India and abroad and he even conducted a month-long photo exhibition at the Sydney Opera House in Australia in August, 2003. He toured Cambodia last year to shoot the Apsara dance form, which is similar to Mohiniyattom.
The tour was part of an U.N.-funded comparative study on Apsara dance of Cambodia and Mohiniyattom.
Although he has travelled to countries such as Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, Australia, and France, Rajesh feels that travelling the length and breadth of India is akin to travelling to different parts of the world.
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