Meet Aparna Purushothaman from Kerala who wield the camera in the wild.I was always partial to birds and animals. In the social media age, I followed friends who posted wildlife pictures. One day, a friend introduced me to the Facebook page of Radhika Ramaswamy, hailed as India’s first woman wildlife photographer. I was fascinated by the pictures, which were mostly of birds. Ramaswamy had quit her job to pursue photography. I was in awe of her work. But sadly, I had no idea about photography. And the enchanting shots she had captured on camera seemed beyond my wildest aspirations. But those pictures instilled in me a genuine love for wildlife photography.
Painting my way to photography
"Spotting tigers or leopards doesn’t excite me as much as spotting a rare species of owl," Aparna says.Two years into my Phd programme at MG university, I got married to Ashok who was working as assistant engineer in KSEB. At that time, he was posted at the powerhouse inside the Sholyar forest. It was about 35 kilomteres from Athirappally falls. I enjoyed my trips to that forest dwelling during holidays.
I was so much into painting in those days. For our first wedding anniversary, he gifted me camera saying that pictures will help me paint. I had never fancied photography as a hobby. But I felt so bad that he spent so much money on that gift and ended up clicking pictures of anything and everything that caught my attention. One of those days, we went on an outing to the beach and I took pictures of the sunset, the crimson-tinted sea, and the Chinese fishing nets and posted them on Facebook. I was surprised when the pictures got so many likes and positive comments. The newbie photographer in me was thrilled and set aside the painting brush to focus my attention on the camera.
All eyes for photography-worth sights, I spied a ‘thoppi kili’ at work over a new nest. I took pictures of her nest building and followed it up till the eggs hatched and the fledglings were ready for flight. The series received a lot of encouragement on Facebook. A teacher friend coaxed me into making a photo essay out of it for a children’s science magazine. I did some reading up on birds to make the article interesting. I was happy when it turned out well and I found myself diligently making notes whenever I clicked photos of birds then on. Soon, I wasn’t shooting for fun, I was doing it because I had become passionate about photography. I bought a new camera with advanced features.
"I took pictures of her nest building and followed it up till the eggs hatched and the fledglings were ready for flight. The series received a lot of encouragement on Facebook."The ‘mysterious’ creature in Sholayar
Armed with the newly acquired camera, we went on a bike trip from Sholayar to Aaliyar dam in Valppara. The three kilometre stretch from the power house to the main road passes through deep jungle. We stopped once in while enjoying short strolls in the wilderness and taking pictures of birds. I spotted a peculiar creature that swiftly climbed up a tree. Though a devoted fan of the winged ones, I clicked a few shots of that animal because it didn’t look like any that I had seen before.
When we got back, I was curious to find out what animal it was. I sent the pictures to a friend, Bijoy, a photography enthusiast who works with Kochin Refinery. Bijoy sounded surprised when he called back. “What you have here is a dream shot of wildlife photographers in Kerala. This is the Niligiri Marten which is on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Only two people have spotted it in Sholayar so far, one is wildlife photographer N A Naseer and now, you. You are indeed lucky!”
"Armed with the newly acquired camera, we went on a bike trip from Sholayar to Aaliyar dam in Valppara."We were so excited. The picture and news of the rare sighting was carried in the newspapers next day. In fact, this second sighting confirmed speculations about the marten’s presence in the Sholayar forests. It was a huge boost for my confidence and I switched to a professional camera. Another picture, of an Indian skink (arana), was selected as the best entry at a photography contest held by the Lalitha Kala Academy that year.
When my husband was transferred from Sholayar, we lost access to our favourite haunt. But that made us avid forest trekkers in search of photo moments. We have been to most forests in Kerala by now.
The poor old owls
Spotting tigers or leopards doesn’t excite me as much as spotting a rare species of owl. Owls are generally elusive and are difficult to spot. I have only seen them in deep forests though quite a few varieties are found in Kerala. Thattekkad is one place where they are abundant and I have been lucky to spot seven different varieties of owls there.
"I am inspired most by author Muhammed Basheer’s words – that every living creature is a rightful inheritor of the earth."My heart goes out to these poor birds that are often harmed in the name of superstitions. Mottled Wood Owl (kalan kozhi, whose call is said to be the omen of death) and Barn Owl (velli moonga) are considered bad omens if spotted. The Barn Owl in fact is a breed that needs to live close to humans. But quite often people make alarmed calls to the forest department asking for the bird to be removed from their neighbourhood. The birds are caught and released into forests which is a cruel thing to do.
Another bird that tops my list of favourites is ‘Makkachi kakka’ (Ceylon Frogmouth). Although they are found in abundance in Srilanka, Thattekkad has a thriving population. It lays only a single egg a year. A whole lot of foreign wildlife enthusiasts come to Thattekkad to see this rare species.
Valmeekam - An exhibition of photographs
"I was always partial to birds and animals. In the social media age, I followed friends who posted wildlife pictures," says Aparna.An exhibition of my photographs was organised at the Kottayam Lalitha Kala Academy in 2012. The pictures displayed were those that conveyed the need for forest conservation. It was well-received and it has inspired us to conduct awareness classes, camps and exhibitions for children. We organise them in schools in the hope that at least some of these youngsters will take a step towards conserving forests and nature. I am inspired most by author Muhammed Basheer’s words – that every living creature is a rightful inheritor of the earth – and hope this message will someday help Bran Owls and Ceylon Frogmouths thrive in this world.
