Dr. Srinivasan Periyathiruvadi | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“The majestic mountains, the Himalayas’ surface humbled me, shattered my ego and taught me many deep lessons of life. Many expeditions helped me understand who I am,” says Dr Srinivasan Periyathiruvadi, Chennai-based physician, founder of Lister Metropolis and co-founder of Jeevan Blood Bank.
Though he had worked with film cameras during his school days in Thoothukudi, it became his passion when he was a medical student in Chennai (then Madras) at the age of 20. His passion for the Himalayan mountains and his love for photography combined to create this film. Himalayan Moments, A coffee table book.
In 2005, Dr Srinivasan bought his first DSLR camera. The next year he went trekking from Gangotri to Gomukh Glacier with a friend. In 2009 he went to Annapurna Base Camp and in 2013 Rahul Ogra, founder of Mystic Himalayan Trails, took him to Ladakh, Kashmir and many unexplored areas of this vast mountain range.
He says, “So far I have conducted more than 15 such campaigns and I have more than 10,000 photographs (taken between 2013 and 2023). From my collection, I have selected 40 photographs and designed this coffee table book.”
Coffee table book is available for sale www.natureimages.in
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Dr. Srinivasan not only explored the length and breadth of the Himalayas but also gained rich experiences by meeting shepherds and other trekkers. “Once I saw a shepherd walking with his flock at a distance. The light was perfect and I captured the moment. The shepherd saw me from a distance and came to me and invited me to come home, which he did”my kingdom“(My state in Hindi). His wife served me roti and paneer. When I left their house, she gave me a big piece of paneer. Also, I have faced some near-death experiences during snowstorms and landslides. With all these experiences in the mountains, I think I have become a better person,” he says.
Dr Srinivasan’s first solo photography exhibition was held in 2012 at the Lalit Kala Academy in Chennai. Four years later, he held another exhibition. It was during the pandemic that he decided to work on his coffee table book. “When I advise other budding photographers, I tell them to put down their camera and enjoy nature with their eyes. I always look at nature through my telephoto lens. Once my camera malfunctioned in a dense forest and then I saw a leopard attacking a deer. What I saw [instead of through the camera] “It was mysterious and mesmerizing,” says Dr. Srinivasan.
Himalayan Moments It costs ₹2,950. Select photographs by Dr Srinivasan are also available for sale on his website www.natureimages.in.
