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She captured through her lens the nation’s rite of passage – from its colonial antecedents to the post-Independence era.
Homai Vyarawalla has the distinction of being the first woman photojournalist India ever had. The choice of photography as a vocation must have certainly raised eyebrows in the 1930s – a time when ‘work’ was a men-only bastion; photography, a rich man’s hobby; and Homai, the only woman photographer in the midst of an all male syndicate.
But Homai was never the one to be ruffled by societal constraints. Her stellar work for the Illustrated Weekly of India during World War II got her recognition. Soon, she moved to Delhi, where she turned official press photographer for India’s political luminaries until her retirement in the 1970s.
Homai’s stunning black-and-white photographs encase India’s kaleidoscopic history – as in the evocative images of the unfurling of the first Tricolour on August 15, 1947, Gandhiji’s funeral, engaging personal moments of India’s first Prime Minister (incidentally, her favourite ‘subject’), and visits of world dignitaries like Dalai Lama, Jacqueline Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr.
In transforming the momentary to the momentous through her lens, this feisty camerawoman gave us not just pictures from a bygone past, but a vital sense of our history.
Why we find her inspiring:
– Because she had the chutzpah to pursue a ‘different’ profession, one predominated by men even today
– Because she was willing to risk anything for the perfect picture
– Because she respected the dignity of her subject, quite unlike the modern, intrusive paparazzi
– Because she gave us our greatest legacy – a pictorial narrative of India’s history
Suggested Readings:
India through her eyes
Lens view
The Lady In the Rough Crowd: Archiving India with Homai Vyarawalla
*Picture courtesy – http://photo.outlookindia.com/images/gallery/20120115/HomaiVyarwalla_20120113.jpg
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What I loved was how there is so much in the movie of the SRK we have known, and also a totally new star. The gestures, the smile, the wit and the charisma are all too familiar, but you also witness a rawness, an edginess.
When a movie that got the entire nation in a twist – for the right and wrong reasons – hits the theatres, there is bound to be noise. From ‘I am going to watch it – first day first show’ to ‘Boycott the movie and make it a flop’, social media has been a furore of posts.
Let me get one thing straight here – I did not watch Pathaan to make a statement or to simply rebel as people would put it. I went to watch it for the sheer pleasure of witnessing my favourite superstar in all his glory being what he is best at being – his magnificent self. Because when it comes to screen presence, he burns it, melts it and then resurrects it as well like no other. Because when it comes to style and passion, he owns it like a boss. Because SRK is, in a way, my last connecting point to the girl that I once was. Though I have evolved into so many more things over the years, I don’t think I am ready to let go of that girl fully yet.
There is no elephant in the room really here because it’s a fact that Bollywood has a lot of cleaning up to do. Calling out on all the problematic aspects of the industry is important and in doing that, maintaining objectivity is also equally imperative. I went for Pathaan for entertainment and got more than I had hoped for. It is a clever, slick, witty, brilliantly packaged action movie that delivers what it promises to. Logic definitely goes flying out of the window at times and some scenes will make you go ‘kuch bhi’ , but the screenplay clearly reminds you that you knew all along what you were in for. The action sequences are lavish and someone like me who is not exactly a fan of this genre was also mind blown.
Recent footage of her coming out of an airport had comments preaching karma and its cruel ways, that Samantha "deserved her illness" because she filed for divorce.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu fell from being the public’s sweetheart to a villain overnight because she filed for divorce. The actress was struck with myositis post divorce, much to the joy of certain groups (read sexist) in our society.
A troll responded to Samantha’s tweet, “Women Rising!!” by adding to it “just to fall”. She replied, “Getting back up makes it all the more sweeter, my friend.”
Here’s another insensitive tweet by BuzZ Basket showing fake concern for her autoimmune disease. “Feeling sad for Samantha, she lost all her charm and glow. When everyone thought she came out of divorce strongly and her professional life was seeing heights, myositis hit her badly, making her weak again.” Samantha responded, “I pray you never have to go through months of treatment and medication like I did. And here’s some love from me to add to your glow.”
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