When ace photographer Balan Madhavan says an apartment at the heart of the city is his work space, I am puzzled. How can one work amidst constant honks and beeps, I wonder? But step into the apartment-cum-work studio and you realise that although his studio at Ambujavilasam road is in the thick of things, the fact that it’s located on the top floor of the building, helps. It’s an oasis of calm amidst the maddening crowd.
The apartment, he says, belongs to his parents. After his father’s death, he turned it into his work space as his mother rarely uses the place, now. Till then he was working from his home in Vattiyoorkavu. “But it was too far from the city. This space is much more practical for me to hold meetings.”
The living room is spacious with minimum furniture. Bright red curtains flutter in the breeze. Books are neatly arranged on a shelf as pictures and paintings dot the walls. There is a fridge in the corner. His laptop is on the dining table. The living room opens out to a private open terrace, which offers a view of the city and of the distant greenery. “It’s this sense of space that I like; I don’t feel confined. After working on the computer for hours at a stretch, looking into the horizon comes as a sight for sore eyes. Besides, I am at home here,” says Balan about his work space.
When he is not on assignments or shooting in the wild, Balan can be found at the apartment fine-tuning his creations. “Unlike a poet or an artist who can write about or paint a sight that captured their eye later, a nature photographer can’t afford to do so as the image cannot be recreated. It’s not easy to frame Nature in all its charm and vibrancy,” says Balan, who also trains his lens on the ravages on Nature.
The numerous award-winning photographer is currently on a break after completing a coffee table series called Sanctuary For The Soul for Kerala Tourism. The series captures scenes from the four national wildlife sanctuaries in the State – Eravikulam National Park, Silent Valley, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and Periyar National Park. The books, says Balan, while portraying the State’s rich biodiversity to the world, emphasises the need for forest conservation.
The dining table is his favourite place to work. “Although I have a Mac Computer in one of the bedrooms, I prefer sitting here as there is a steady breeze if I open the windows and open the door that leads to the terrace. And like I said, I like the ‘open feeling’ in this room.”
So, how is he using his free time? “Well, I am currently reading these Ruskin Bond books. They are autographed by the author himself. I also watch a bit of television.”
(A series that explores the workspaces of creative people in the city and its suburbs)
