Unstoppable lensman does not let COVID snatch his passion

Uses horse to boost his occupation at temple town

Khammam, Telangana, 29/07/2021:Corona has an impact on everyone’s lives. The number of devotees coming to the Sri Sita Rama Chandra Swami temple Bhadrachalam has decreased due to the Corona effect. The situation has become difficult for photographers who live by simply taking photos of devotees coming to the temple. The few devotees who come to the temple live by taking photos like this.Photo: Rao G N / The Hindu

At a time when the COVID-19-induced crisis forced many to take up odd jobs to eke out a living in Bhadrachalam, a senior photographer of the temple town is continuing his passion for photography against all odds by deploying a horse to boost his occupation.

Velishala Ravi, 42, a resident of Shilpinagar, is among several private photographers of the temple town hit hard by the low turnout of devotees at the Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple ever since the portals of the temple reopened for darshan last month.

Ravi has been working as a private photographer clicking pictures of devotees against the backdrop of the picturesque Godavari and the historic shrine to eke out a living for the last 18 years.

Undeterred by the COVID-triggered fall in business, he deployed a horse to catch the attention of visitors at the flood bank abutting the Godavari.

With selfie-culture reigning supreme and the growing trend of taking pictures of themselves by many visitors using smartphones, our occupation has taken a severe hit, rues Ravi.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our livelihoods, he deplored, adding that he purchased a horse from Hyderabad a couple of months ago to give his occupation a much-needed fillip.

“I am eagerly waiting for life to get back to normal and the footfall of devotees to the temple town to increase,” he told The Hindu while taking an instant picture of a visitor sitting on the horse against the backdrop of the flood bank.