A tale of two villages

Their faiths could be different but there’s a bond they share

Perumal Venkatesan, or PeeVee, as he likes to be known, is a photographer with a “limitless passion to capture light.” PeeVee never ceases to find time to pursue his creative interests. Although he loves to capture anything and everything in his viewfinder, he is inclined more towards capturing street life.

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In this photo story, for instance, in order to highlight the peaceful diversity of the country, he has documented two contrasting but harmonious villages of fishermen, located three kilometres apart, in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district. While one village is celebrating Dussehra, the residents of the other, most of them Christians, are busy conducting their mundane daily chores.

A boy in the attire of a demon, goes on a collection drive in Kulasekarapattinam Village. During Dussehra, the men collect alms, attired in traditional costumes.

An avid traveller, PeeVee was the official photographer for a 1,000-km-long cycling expedition that went across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in 2009. On this journey, he says, he captured the remarkable vibrancy of the three states. The winner of the 2010 Photography Society of Madras award, he has exhibited across the country in group and solo shows. Last year, he founded Red Frames, a photography community initiative along with other lensmen.

— Perumal Venkatesan is a Bangalore-based documentary photographer and advertising professional. These days, he is working on documenting the lives of the weavers of India and the Todas community of the Nilgiris.

A fisherman at Manapad Village on the southern coast of Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district. The serenity of the shore makes for a breathtaking landscape.