Photography makes this auditor feel alive
ASHWINI ATTRI, an auditor by profession belonging to the 1981 batch of Indian Audit and Accounts Service, is currently working as Deputy CAG in the office of C&AG. A photographer by passion, Ashwini found interest in this hobby during his college days. Since then, he has been trying his hand at capturing nature, monuments, portraits, flora and fauna, candid moments and anything which catches his attention. Here are few excerpts from an interaction with him:
Tell us about your journey so far and what inspired you to enter into the world of photography?
I got inspired about photography from my father who used to do occasion photography. His work was always cherished by everyone. From my father, the ‘art’ was adopted by my elder brother followed by me. The instance is of the year 1975 when during the summer vacations, I had joined a two-month diploma course in photography. During the course, we were taught about the nitty-gritty of photography, which included film development, colouring of black and white photos and several other features of photography.
My father also supported me and arranged a professional photographer, who further trained and honed my skills. Thereafter, I also started participating in photo competitions organised by several clubs and most of the time won awards for best photos. This further gave me a boost.
Could you just explain as of why you started pursuing photography?
It’s well said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I love being able to express myself to tell a story through my photographs. It has taught me to pay attention to the minutest details as well as the grand landscapes, and to observe and appreciate what is happening around me. It drives me to capture memories, freeze moments and my vision at that time. It reminds me of being in that moment. In a nutshell, pursuing photography is my humble effort to capture and share various moods of creations of God and mankind
Do you keep in mind any particular theme prior to shooting any sequel?
No, it’s not thematic; rather I would say it’s situational. Most of my works are related to light and shades as I get attracted towards it. Where ever I go, I try to shoot scenes, shadows of light, living things, seashore, lighting works in buildings, and more. I had shot reflections of candles in the night, artificially lit building etc.
Any moment that you missed and still want to remember?
The incident is of Bharat Darshan, a trip organised for the trainee officers, in the year 1982. Since I was the only photographer in our group of officers, I clicked memorable pictures and sent the film for development to America through my instructor as developing colour photos in India was really very costly. The sad part is that those photos never came back to me as the briefcase of the person who was bringing those prints got stolen at the airport.
Given that lots of money is being spent on cleaning of Yamuna and Ganga, if you have to convey a message to people through your photographs then how would you do it?
I would like to click photos of floating bodies in both the rivers. The other part of it is Ganga Aarti at Haridwar, Varanasi to make a religious connect so that people may stop putting waste in the river or on the banks of the holy rivers.