I am a photographer, a German teacher, a wanderer and that person in the audience who gives the loudest, most thunderous applause. I am also that person who realises the most basic things, embarrassingly late in life. For example, guess when I found out that chewing gum isn't supposed to be swallowed? (I am not going to tell you, but my stomach's internal lining is one hundred percent Boomer and zero percent flesh.) :D Also sometimes, when I don't know the lyrics of a song, I totally make up the lyrics and sing them with remarkable conviction, hoping that no-one will notice. (Everyone notices immediately, I am fooling no-one here.)
However, if I gloss over my misadventures with chewing gum and forgetting lyrics at inconvenient times, I consider myself to be extremely blessed. I still can't believe that I have had the good fortune of being part of several beautiful weddings since 2012, in different parts of India and abroad, as an observer, friend, photographer, hider of the groom’s shoes, SOS saree helper, carrier of safety pins, confidante of drunk guests at parties, and the keeper of all secrets plans and surprises at weddings.
I love being adopted by big, loving families for a couple of days, making their joy, stress, jokes and anxiety my own, and shooting the wedding in the capacity of a friend rather than a photographer.
My team and I take extra care to not be intrusive and have an inconspicuous presence during the event. You won’t notice us unless we want you to, but you’ll always find us whenever we are needed. (Yes, we are kind of like the X- Men, or Power Puff girls, whomever you find more impressive) :D
If I were to sum up my philosophy about photography in one sentence, it would be this; 'Beautiful photos come from moments of honesty'.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. Ok Bye.
My journey
,,Die Grenzen meiner Sprache sind die Grenzen meiner Welt“- Ludwig Wittgenstein
(Translation: The limits of my language are the limits of my world)
I have always been something of a nerd for languages. While I can articulate myself best in English, my first love has always been my mother tongue and my love for Marathi has only grown since childhood. Even though like most Indians I grew up with three languages, something deep within me was unsatisfied and kept pulling at my heartstrings, as if it were yearning for a new language.
Somehow, very organically, that language happened to be German. Learning German at Max Mueller Bhavan was an incredibly exciting experience. I was thrilled to perceive everything around me through a whole new world of words and sounds. I guess it is true what they say; you can never understand one language, until you understand at least two.
Little did I know that there was an entire world of nonverbal languages that I hadn’t even explored yet! Up until this time, photography had zero presence in my life. It was only later when I started writing for newspapers that I realised something was amiss. I couldn’t put my finger on it then, but I knew that I was looking for something more. Then one day, I started shooting with a point and shoot camera and it felt like I had found the found the missing piece.
I instantly fell in love with photography because of its amazing ability to reach people across the globe, no matter what languages they speak or how educated they are. I loved its wide horizon that allows one to amaze, baffle, shock and sadden absolutely anyone. And just like that I found my calling!
Everything after that was smoother than a baby’s bottom! Today I alternate between teaching at Max Mueller Bhavan and shooting weddings, people, places, architecture, food, cultures and pretty much anything that I find interesting.
So here I am: A candid wedding photographer and a German teacher who is constantly endeavouring to expand the limits of her world.
