Heading for a book launch in the city?
The chances are you will come across a man, wielding a digital camera that is mounted on a hand grip, and recording the entire proceeding.
Meet Jayarajan G. Valiyasala, who has been a constant at book releases for the last four years.
1,200 launches
He claims to have “covered” at least 1,200 during the period. For him, documenting such events and collecting sound bytes from the authors have become a hobby.
It all began in 2014 when Jayarajan, a freelance photographer, had been hired for a book launch.
“Somehow, despite making efforts to publicise the function, not many turned up and naturally, it did not find a place on the newspapers.
This was when I stumbled upon the idea of creating clips that focused on the authors and their literary works. I also make it a point to record excerpts being read by the writer to provide a viewer a complete idea about the book,” he says.
He has uploaded around 40 videos, which he has shot and edited, on YouTube.
Driving force
But, what is the driving force behind his peculiar hobby?
“My deep passion for literary works and the great opportunity to interact with writers, who hail from various walks of life, motivate me in my endeavour,” he said.
To his credit, Mr. Jayarajan has also authored a book on late poet and lyricist P. Bhaskaran.
Doing his bit to encourage budding writers, he organised a function to felicitate 51 authors two years ago.
