How does passion appear in a photographer’s lens? Sriram tells us tales of passion he’s captured in his travels across the country.
K. Gunasekaran runs a small tea shop (or coffee bar as he likes to call it) in Salem, Tamil Nadu. Gunasekaran’s shop opens at 3:30 am and shuts at 11:30 pm and is open throughout the year. I wonder when he really sleeps. He’s been doing this for nearly forty years and loves it to date. Speak with him and you’ll not fail to notice his impeccable English; that’s when you’ll learn that he is a graduate who decided to take over his uncle’s coffee bar and run it – out of sheer passion. What makes him stand out is the way he connects with anybody at a moment’s notice. Chatty, friendly, helpful and genuine – the world definitely needs more Gunasekarans.
We were being driven literally in the middle of the desert in Wadi Rum in Jordan and all of a sudden, our driver pulled over. He started walking and before we could understand what was happening, we saw him kneel to do his prayer. While he does this ‘religiously’ every day, I realised that passion doesn’t necessarily have to be just with the pursuit of something occupational.
Scenes from the Intensive Care Unit of the Government Children’s Hospital, Chennai. Too often we judge government hospitals but little do we know what really happens inside. Amidst inadequate facilities, sub-par infrastructure, and scenes of life and death, doctors and staff here are driven by just one aspect – passion – because compensation and perks aren’t much to speak of in such settings.
Manganiars are a community of hereditary musicians in the state of Rajasthan, India. They consider themselves oral historians and storytellers of the desert, and sing songs that are about historical, local events. This Manganiar singer, at 80, is a store house of energy and has been singing since he was a boy. He is hard of hearing, but that doesn’t stop him from signing or imparting his musical knowledge to fellow villagers.
Talk to a teacher in any corner of the world, the one thing that will come across unanimously is that teaching is driven by passion more than by money. Teaching is one of the most underrated professions, what with the gruelling workload and its physical and emotional demands. This teacher at a primary school in Ramgarh in Uttar Pradesh, India, conducts classes wherever there’s space as part of his school building is under construction.
The making of a mridangam – a percussion instrument popular in Carnatic music – involves intricate craftsmanship that few families use today in the traditional way. This workshop in Panruti, Tamil Nadu, was hard to find, indicating the slow disappearance of makers of traditional instruments in this day and age of electronic instruments. The mridangam maker here shapes jackfruit wood to create the drum which will later be hollowed out and fastened with cow or goat hide.
Sriram is a freelance photographer based out of Bangalore. His approach to photography is very documentary and real in nature, working with available light and capturing stories in the most honest manner possible. With a background in Economics and Business, and having worked for over a decade with consulting and education organisations, Sriram started pursuing photography full time recently. You can check out more of his work at http://www.sriramsabhapathy.com
