Pani puri is right up there among snacks that we crave during the monsoon. Thanks to innumerable vendors, one can enjoy it any time, anywhere. Besides having them at chaat bhandars , one also eats them at the mobile pani puri bandis, where the hawker walks around with the paraphernalia on his head, in search of customers. But, have you ever wondered about this person who serves us pani puris ? What could be his name, his story or his struggle to survive? Narrating extraordinary stories of such seemingly ordinary people is photographer Kandukuri Ramesh Babu who returns with a new show titled ‘The Ordinariness of Truth’. To begin from August 19 at his gallery Saamanyashastram Gallery in OU Colony, Manikonda Road, this show captures the lives of these unnoticed and real heroes.
Two days before the exhibition, Ramesh is poring over the prints rolled into one big sheet. “Many people go to the Himalayas in search of truth. But for common people, who form 80 percent of India, this experience of truth and peace happens in their day-to-day lives; Their lives are about survival 24x7; I wanted to showcase how this reflects in their lives,” he points out.
The frames are simple but carry an in-depth message. A sparrow on a web of electrical wires, a broken cassette, daily wage labourer going to work and a half broken chair. Pointing towards a village woman with an inquisitive pose looking into the camera, he states, “She is wearing an ordinary green sari but has an endearing quality and that makes her the most beautiful woman.”
A former journalist, Ramesh says, “After being a journalist for 20 years, I resigned last month to focus full time on photography. Although I have been pursuing photography for the past five years, I wanted to take it to the next level and didn’t want to do a balancing act.” He adds, “I wanted the writer in me to shut up for a while and let the images speak and open the doors of revelation.” Interestingly, Ramesh has also written 12 books and their subject has revolved around real heroes. “We need to appreciate the reality and simple subjects around us rather than wanting to go somewhere to seek something. A friend once mentioned to me ‘these unsung heroes are in the world but not worldly.’ I think it is an apt statement. They explore truth, beauty and goodness in their own way.”
( The Ordinariness of Truth - An exhibition of photographs previews on August 19 at 6 pm; Exhibition is on till September 20 —6 pm to 9 pm; Sundays 11 am to 9 pm)
