Karunakaran to Bachchan: Glimpses of Kasaragod history frozen in frames by Jayaprakash

Kasaragod: At 67, K Jayaprakash narrates Kasaragod's 50 years through still frames, where time stands frozen, but quietly tells tales that moulded the district into the one we see now. 

He is a historian who wrote history with light, as he witnessed through the lenses of his black and white and digital cameras. He preserved the frames, several of them rare, with genie-like diligence for posterity. 

Jayaprakash, who owns the Prakash Studio near the Old Bus Stand in Kasaragod, picked up the camera in 1975. The still-active photographer had witnessed several milestones in the district, such as the impressive rally and celebrations that marked the formation of the Kasaragod district in May 1984, the old railway station, the Batla seva procession of the Korakkode Arya Karthyayani Devasthanam taken out decades ago, Kasaragod's struggle for streetlights, the rail roko protest in which women too actively participated, a generation that had to queue up for potable water at Pulikkunnu, the demolished old Mubarak Masjid, the sight of a bandh observed decades ago, are a few of the rare photographs in Jayaprakash's collection. 

There is a reason why the photos are black-and-white. "In those days, we used to click photos for newspapers, mainly the Kannada daily Udayavani, and the dailies were yet to be equipped for carrying colour photos then," Jayaprakash says.

Picking up the camera

Jayaprakash's father, Sundar Rao, established Prakash Studio in 1962. During the Emergency, Rao was arrested and imprisoned at the Kannur Central Prison for three months over an incident in Kasaragod Town, though he had no role.

Jayaprakash was a Pre-Degree (Chemistry) student at the Government College in Kasaragod when his father was arrested. Once Rao was sent to jail, the studio became the youngster's responsibility. Though Rao returned after three months, Jayaprakash refused to part with the camera. It marked the beginning of a career that extended more than half a century.  

Clicking Amitabh Bachchan at Sabarimala
Jayaprakash has in his collection several photographs he has captured since 1975. One among them is of Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan's visit to the hill shrine at Sabarimala. 

Bachchan trekked Sabarimala after recovering from the injury sustained during the filming of Coolie, released on December 2, 1983. The visit was on the advice of the film director. Jayaprakash's visit coincided with that of Bachchan and his entourage. 

Recollecting the photo op with Amitabh Bachchan during his Sabarimala trip, Jayapyrakash says that it happened in the second week of January in 1984. Jayapraksh was on a pilgrimage himself. After the shrine visit, he had already descended to Pampa at the foot of Sabarimala Hill. "When I heard someone talking about Bachchan's trek up the hill, I suddenly grabbed my camera, which I always carry with me, and ran after him. After climbing a couple of kilometres, I caught up with the actor, clicked a few photos and returned."

Jayaprakash says that after some newspapers published the photos, he didn't know what to do with them apart from preserving the negatives along with many other such collections. "It never occurred to me to send or take the photos to Bachchan," he says and adds, Jayaprakash hopes to present Bachchan with a copy of the photograph of the actor with the irumudi kettu, or the double-chambered travel pouch.

Kiran is Jayaprakash's wife. The couple has two children, Tripti and Tapan. Jayaprakash had led the Rotary Club in Kasaragod as its president, and is the former regional secretary of the Photographers' Association.