Not Another Shutterbug

Photographer

12/11/2021

006-It is not without reason that you have ’sass’on your name. Meet Tina Sasson - a Punjabi brought up in Kolkata, who sports a paint brush to keep her hair bun together. As a child, Tina dreamt of having a dhaba of her own on Grand Trunk Road, Asansol, West Bengal. Fast track a few years later to the year 2000, she began realising that dream by serving breakfast and conducting cooking classes in their backyard at home. With no formal training or background in cooking or running a business, she, along with her husband - Sanjeev took the plunge in late 2000s by renting a 10X15 that could seat 10 on Gokulam Main Road. The cafe since then has been the bedrock for upto 14 people including a Nepalese family. Tina’s cafe - now in it’s 13th year has evolved over time to now accommodate 60. What’s not changed tho’ is the rustic feel with hues of Buddhism, Om mani padme hum playing in the background and ghar ka khana(read: home-cooked food).

06/03/2021

Meet Maada; Introduced to animal rearing at the age of 8, farming has become second nature to him for the past 80 years. As far as his memory goes, he remembers growing paddy, sugarcane, maize and ragi on a plot of 9 acres which he continues to do till this day. A small piece of land is set aside for growing fruits and vegetables which serves his family of 4 daughters and 4 sons. The farm land has seen technological improvements from depending on a well and human labor for irrigation to a tube well with motorised pump and now a solar powered submersible pump which ensures 24X7 availability of water. While he has seen the world around him change, the man and his ideals have not. He opines farming is like working for any other private firm just that you serve for life without retirement. Despite leading an active life, a few lifestyle diseases have affected his health. However, without batting a brow he says the fields are the cure to anything that life has to throw at him. Perhaps, this is why he choses to stay in the fields looking after the crops as if it were his own children instead of choosing the comfort of home.

27/02/2021

When people stare at you, freeze the moment in time.

06/02/2021

Calm in the Midst of Chaos

24/01/2021

Countryside scenes in Gokarna: A middle-aged man smoking a ciggie while going about his daily routine.

01/01/2021

In stark contrast to the European-esque affluent setting on Church Street I encountered this mother and child begging for alms, a grim reminder of the inequality that exists in today’s society. This new year I hope they and many more like them get shelter and enough to eat.
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When I started out to shoot the streets of India I took a vow not to depict the homeless since they come across as easy subjects. I’ve come to accept that by not doing so I wouldn’t be doing justice to the genre.