The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Honour for lensman S. Nagaraj

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Wednesday, Oct 01, 2008
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Honour for lensman S. Nagaraj

Staff Reporter

He will receive the E. Hanumantha Rao Award

Bangalore: The prestigious annual E. Hanumantha Rao Award is being conferred this year on S. Nagaraj, a contemporary of the veteran photographer in whose memory the award was instituted by his wife, Rathna Bai.

Influence

Mr. Nagaraj was influenced by the legendary C. Rajagopal. His first venture in capturing the avian splendour of Ranganathittu in black and white had won his mentor’s appreciation. The result was so convincing that Mr. Rajagopal advised Mr. Nagaraj to concentrate on nature photography.

Born in 1933, his interest in photography was piqued when his father gave him a camera when he was in school.

A few shots at a Hassan cattle fair, Lalbagh and Cubbon Park in Bangalore and the KRS in Mysore increased his confidence.

A Tata staffer, his employers recognising his talent gave him encouragement. It was their financial support that enabled him to widen his horizons. His career received a further boost when Frontline published his photos of several wildlife sanctuaries.

During his four-decade career, he has held several one-man shows, and his prints have found their way to several national and international salons.

Mr. Nagaraj has won a number of awards, including Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain in nature and AFIAD of Switzerland besides the coveted RPS fellowship.

He currently is a member of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and India International Photographic Council (IIPC).

The E. Hanumantha Rao Award, which carries a cash prize of Rs. 10,000 and a citation, will be presented to Mr. Nagaraj on October 3 at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan by art collector K. Kejriwal.

An exhibition on wildlife photographs will be held on the premises till October 7. It will be open between 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m.

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