Neydhal – Tales of the sea, soil and humanity

“Every face is a tale, a smiling volcano carrying within the invisible fire and the visible resolve.” As one enters the Hallegua Hall - Palette People Gallery & Artists’ Studio in Mattancherry, Kochi, where Neydhal (The Coast), an exhibition of photographs by Vetrivel, an upcoming photographer from Chennai, is on, what captures the attention of the viewers is the ethnic features of the people whose eyes tell the stories of their struggles and fights against the odd, as reflected in this caption.

Of course, Vetrivel has been deeply interested in photography ever since his childhood, and he used to roam around with his mom’s cellphone, capturing the everyday objects that fancied him. However, the childhood impression slowly transformed into a passion and he started looking at photography as a medium of art to capture various facets of our society at its expressive best. “As the realities of life that cannot be expressed in a few words emerged before me, I gained the confidence to use it as a tool for social commentary, which ultimately inspired me to work on the project, Neydhal, which means the land along the sea shore,” he says.

Right from the beginning, he was interested in the struggles of the fishermen community, remembers Vetri. As he came closer to them, their life began unfolding before his eyes, and that took him to a new reality.
“Once I came closer to life at the grassroots, I cultivated within me a subaltern vision, which also has an underlying layer of politics that comes to the fore. Later, I was able to associate this with the serene life I experienced during my visits to my parental village, which further shaped my ethical vision,” says the young photographer.
 

An experiential journey
During his social interactions with these people, and moving around them, Vetri realised that every human being is a story; an endless tale that unfolds before us. Their knowledge, wisdom and the way they see the world and the societal issues helped him see humanity from their perspective as well.
These interactions were more of an experiential journey for the young photographer, which made him look at the life and landscape devoid of colours from a different perspective. 

The impact of the tsumani in December 2004, the displacement they faced, especially in the backdrop of the post Eelam movement after they were forced to migrate to this stretch of the coastal region, environmental issues including global warming and many other problems had the cascading effect on the fishermen. Such traumatic experiences got embedded in his mind while he portrayed the life and landscape there.

“Thus, when I focus my lens, these elements influence the way I approach nature, especially the lives along the coast, which are the worst affected by all kinds of adversities,” says Vetri, who adds that the survival along the land, where the sea meets the shore is also about weaving their humble life, which is often leaky like the net which forms the basis of their frugal existence. There was a brooding happening inside his self, which naturally got reflected in his photographs of the colourless landscapes and the lives.
 

Life and landscape
Vetri has broadly classified his exhibition into three segments – the landscape, seascape and the faces, and in these compositions memories mingle with present-day realities.

“Talking about the Neydhal landscapes, knowingly or unknowingly I was not drawn to the colour and charm of the places I walked around. I always see a life drained of its colours, but they have the inner power to fight the odds,” says Vetri. Water, sky and the life it reflects has no contours in his frames. So, naturally the grey tone dominates here instead of the blue of the ocean and the sky, which merge into one in many of his photographic compositions capturing silence.

Even when he turns towards the ocean, he remembers the words of the people, the waves in their eyes, and his camera captures the sea in its turbulence even when there are no waves lashing at the shore.
The portraits of the life around emerged before him while he was engaged in leisurely interactions with the fishermen, and he started observing their traits from close quarters… their ethnic features, its connection with the soil where they live and the sociological element of their place of belonging. They struggle, fight the odds, but they are resolute. Their faces tell the stories of their struggle, and their eyes become oceans of pain and reminiscence. The waves lash at their shores. Their work culture, their faith, their stories, everything slowly started taking shape in his mind.

That was how Neythal took shape, where the seeds of memory sprout in the mindscape of the people who are always destined to fight the odds. Most of the images are taken from Pazhaveerkkad, a fishermen’s village in the northern coastline of Chennai, in Thiruvallur district. With a gigantic saltwater lake and a fort, Pazhaveerkkad is a historically important place that was witness to many turbulent chapters in the history of pre-Independent India, as it was occupied by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Today it is thriving because of the Special Economic Zones (SEZs), but the life of the fishermen community remain the same as in the older times.

The exhibition was formally inaugurated on February 4, by world renowned artist and curator Mr. Bose Krishnamachari, who is the President of Kochi Biennale Foundation. The show coincides with the fifth edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, at different venues in Fort Kochi. The inaugural ceremony was held in the presence of eminent artists and luminaries including Mr. Lijin Jose, filmmaker; Ms. Marina Michale Kurisingal, movie actor; Mr. MVM Sasikumar, Director, Velammal Educational Trust; Ms. Geethanjali Sasikumar, Director – Academics, Velammal Knowledge Park; Murali Cheeroth, Chairman, Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, among others.