Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
THIS MAN OF MANY ROLES WANTS MORE FROM LIFE
Ace photographer Ravi Kapoor has been awarded for his images and shares credits in 12 books. But there is an unquenchable thirst within, and the popular punch-line ‘what’s life without a little passion’, stands true for him.
He has a collection of 800plus plants which comprises adenium, jade, ficus, banyan, bougainvillea, peepal and other varieties. His antiques’ collection features nutcrackers, locks, smoking equipment, utensils and miniature liquor bottles.
And if that weren’t enough, Kapoor has lately started recording videos where he lends his voice to poetry penned by others, though he doesn’t pen poetry himself. “Videos for Chandra Shekhar Verma and Udai Pratap Singh have been released, while of videos of Manish Shukla, Khushbir Singh ‘Shaad’, Bharat Bhushan Pant, Farhat Ahsas, Bhagwati Charan Verma, Nirmal Darshan and Abhishek Shukla are in pipeline,” said Kapoor.
LATEST PASSION
For his latest passion, he plans to start a YouTube channel too. “It all happened when I received a WhatsApp message from legendarywriter Bhagwati Charan Verma’s grandson Chandra Shekhar Verma saying ‘Ravi bhai, is nazm ko apni aawaz de dijiye’. He had written three paras and on my request, he added four more. We recorded ‘Tujhe khudh se alag kaise karoon main’ and it was put on Facebook. In two months it has 14,000+ views.”
He has been reciting poems of known and unknown poets but it has been at private gatherings for the last eight-10 years. “In my circuit, people knew about it but now it is known to the public. After Shaad got the Yash Bharti award, there was a function in his honour and he was supposed to open the evening with his poetry, but to everyone’s surprise, he asked me to read his work. It was an honour as I am an admirer and follower.”
Kapoor’s ‘learn-station’ is his bedroom, where you find reading glasses on either side
of the bed, sheets of paper and books from which he memorises.
“I memorise them, else I won’t be able to give expressions as it’s not my work. I learn them by heart the traditional way from paper. I find it very odd when people read or sing from cell phones or paper,” he said.
He plans to hold a mushaira in association with theatre personality Anshu Tandon. “It’s going to be a new concept and if at all it happens, it will be for the first time. The poets/shayars/ writers will be present at the mushaira, while I will recite their work. They will listen to their work being recited,” he said.
GREEN COLLECTION
Kapoor’s green thumb is much at evidence at his residence, 1, Faizabad Road. The two-storey house boasts of a huge collection, which finds a pride of place on the portico, corridor, balcony and entire roof. The top floor is entirely dedicated to plants and it serves as his workplace too.
“Here, I spend at least two hours every day and work on plants. I prepare the mix with manure, compost and vermincompost, mix it with pebbles to maintain water level. I prune, shape, turn soil, observe, plan beautify and develope my vertical garden,” he said.
Many of his plants are from home-grown seeds, while others he has sourced from across India and some from abroad too. The oldest of his adenium collection is some 2324 years old.
“I inherited my love for plants from my grandfather (Mani Ram Kapoor) and father (Balak Ram Kapoor). At our 200-year-old ancestral house, in Chowk, we had a good collection. When we shifted to this place, we came with three mini trucks carrying just plants,” he said.
He has adopted the community garden of the small colony, giving it a green cover and beautifying with plants. He has once exhibited his plants along with his photos during the ‘Rhyme of Colour’ exhibition at Lalit Kala Academy in 2012.
“I do exhibit privately in my house for the connoisseurs but don’t send plants to exhibitions. Some time back, Clean and Green Environment Society held a meeting at my residence where I shared my knowledge about adenium amongst people,” he said.
Kapoor uses his plants for gifting too. “I don’t gift bouquets. Instead, I gift plants. I gifted one to governor Ram Naik too,” he said.
THE LENSMAN
“I developed my love for photography into a profession. I received photography training from late TN Jetleyji under the guru-shishya parampara. I am promoting art, architecture and culture of Awadh through photography exhibitions, books and lectures. Since 2012, through my Chhavi-Kushal photography programme, I have trained over 100 students in age group 8 years to 74 years,” Kapoor said.
He has been awarded the Yash Bharti award in 2016 and Mahan Vibhuti in 2018. His photographs adorn Lucknow Then and Now, Fire of Grace, Raj Bhavan, Architecture of Indian Sultanate, Synthesis, Raza Library Rampur, Allahabad and Allahabad Museum, Lucknow, Splendor and Decline, A Leaf Turns Yellow and Charaivati Charaivati (by governor Ram Naik).