THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A lyrical charm, an ethereal beauty, the divine effulgence; all merged into one at ‘Nivedyam’, the exhibition of photographs clicked by Ajayan Aruvippuram held at the Theerthapada Mandapam here. Creating magic through the lens, this freelance photographer turned the exhibition into an offering to Lord Padmanabha as suggested by its name.
Categorised into four; ‘Velakali’, 'Nilavarakalude Naalvazhikal’, ‘Puramkaazhcha’ and ‘Arattu’, more than 300 images were on display at the exhibition capturing the subtle nuances of the Padmanabha Swamy Temple and its premises.
Besides photographs, striking captions too were the highlight of the exhibition. The exclusive ‘Velakali’ snaps alone numbered 180. ‘Velakali’ was performed in front of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple during the ‘Painguni’ festival in April 2011 after a long gap of 40 years. Various stages of ‘Velakali’, along with detailed descriptions underneath, provided a deep insight into the legacy and history of the divine art form.
“In this exhibition, three stages of the art form, ‘Kudipayattu’, ‘Pidichukali’ and ‘Padakali’, are portrayed in detail. In order to provide a detailed description of the lesser-known facts of the event, I met its organisers at Ambalapuzha. Except the front view of ‘Vela ottam’, the concluding part of ‘Velakali’, all other points were captured,” said Ajayan. Apart from showing the composition of the art form, the history and instruments played for Velakali were also depicted.
In ‘Nilavarakalude Nalvazhikal’, Ajayan deftly utilised the freedom of the lens to evoke humour. Depiction of the age-old legacy of the temple to the present, when it has become a centre of attraction after unearthing a gargantuan treasure from the underground vaults, was the theme of this section. For that too, Ajayan has a reason: “Within the space of a lensman, I made an attempt to point out some practices which I found unfair, without hurting the feelings of others.”
The caption under a picture of a cop scanning the polythene bag of a devotee as part of the security measures read: “Let me see, oye! It was idli and chutney?”
Ajayan’s camera did not forget to poke fun at some foreigners who thronged the temple premises after hearing the news of the treasure inside its vaults. The captions were in this manner: “If viewed through this angle, his highness Padmanabhan may bless you,”; “You know, this Padmanabhan was actually...” and the like. He also sought the help of the local dialect of the city in creating captions for photographs.
While ‘Puramkaazhcha’ caught some activities on the premises of the temple, ‘Arattu’ absorbed some best moments from the ritualistic festival of the temple.
The exhibition concluded on Monday.
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