From the women who upset a 90-year-old dance tradition in Kerala to the people rendered homeless by the Yamuna in spate — the winners of the latest CPB Photo Awards tell stories of the times we live in
Category: News and Current Affairs Single Image Cash prize: ₹50,000 Ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly Elections last November, Bhatnagar captured the Uttar Pradesh chief minister participating in a roadshow atop a bulldozer — in support of BJP candidate Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore from the Jhotwara constituency. Yogi Adityanath may be credited as the ‘creator’ of the bulldozer as a tool for political messaging. “My main focus is editorial photography,” says the selftaught independent photojournalist, who also frames nature and current affairs. “I have a keen interest in capturing moments and understanding the stories behind the photos.” he Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation’s hunt for impactful images with meaningful stories is now in its fourth year. The latest edition of the CPB Photo Awards saw a significant increase in entries, with over 9,700 from 300 plus cities across India. The fivemember jury — including names such as Daniella Zalcman, photojournalist and founder of Women Photograph, and Senthil Kumaran, photographer and Nat Geo explorer — had a challenge on their hands to choose only 10 winners.
The awards were established in 2019 to recognise and celebrate excellence in photography, but also to emphasise the underrecognised work of regional talent. “While the earlier editions had a greater focus on documentary photography and reportage, photographers from other genres were not able to participate,” says Shuchi Kapoor, cofounder of CPB Foundation. “Inclusion is an important focus of ours and so the fourth edition introduced genres such as Daily Life, Culture and Street Photography, Portraiture. This has allowed photographers from different backgrounds to participate.”
The winners were announced on Thursday at an awards ceremony hosted by The Leela Palace Chennai. We present some of their works here but for the complete list head to magazine.thehindu.com.
TCategory: Portrait
Single Image
Cash prize: ₹50,000
The IT professional with a “keen interest in photographing people and pets” caught this heartwarming moment between a newlywed Irular couple last February during the Masi Magam festival in Mahabalipuram. “I love to travel across India and meet [different] people,” says Thyagarajan.
Category: Daily Life and Culture Single Image
Cash prize: ₹50,000
Rahul’s practice walks the fine line between documentary and street photography. Like this sliceoflife shot from last year, at the Ochira Parabrahma temple. The independent photographer caught devotees in an unguarded moment, resting during the temple festival. A pair of twins in their finery don sunnies as they relax against their sleeping parents. It’s a short moment of silence before the chendas (drums) start again.
Category: Photo Story of the Year
Cash prize: ₹1 lakh
Agriculture employs close to half of India’s working population, yet it generates less than a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product. The agricultural system that feeds India’s 1.4 billion people still relies on illequipped smallholders. And ironically, farmers often lack enough food and access to financing sources to buffer against shocks. Most turn to credit to manage expenses during the sowing season, but their heavy reliance on rain for irrigation means yields are often volatile — a gamble that’s only getting riskier as the planet warms. Farming can easily become a debt trap, and successive Indian governments have struggled to stem suicides among cultivators. Mukherjee’s photo story captures vignettes from farmers’ lives. “I specialise in capturing compelling narratives within the realms of health, politics, economics, and development,” says the independent photojournalist and documentary photographer, who has worked with The New York
Times, Getty Images, Bloomberg, and AFP. “Additionally, I undertake commissioned documentary projects that allow me to delve deep into diverse subjects.”
1. A labourer burns peanuts in Badanpur, Jhansi
2. A worker checks his phone on a lean day, in Punjab’s Mansa district
3. Nirmal Singh, who lost his father and son to suicide, in Sirsiwala, Punjab
4. Rekha Sain harvests peanut stalks in Badanpur