Uncanny Solace: Bizarre Rituals
© Vinod Venkapalli
Vinod Venkapalli: “For the Promised heaven in the Sky”
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Telangana, the place I belong to is the newly formed 29th state of India. Telangana has seen the rise and fall of a lot of governments,Venkapalli since ages. The growing incompetency is what eventually led to the division of the state. Unequal development, water and agrarian crisis, illiteracy and unemployment are some of the major problems that the state continues to face even today. Initially I visited only Medaram, followed by visits to more similar mass gatherings.
At first glance everything seems festive, almost like a celebration with people having a great time -cooking, singing and dancing. However, the more time you spend in that landscape, you start witnessing the other side of it, filled with cries, tears and mass hysteria. Who knew people had so much to share with their deities? They wait for many years, some for as long as eight years, for a single propitious day during these gatherings, to open their hearts to God. These places seem to be their only outlet to vent out all the agony and pain caused by everything, personal, social and political.
‘For the promised heaven in the sky’ is a mosaic of people and a peek into their world of melancholia and enchantment. It is a journey that the extremely vulnerable take on as they continue to cling to the tiny sliver of hope still left in their lives.
About Vinod Venkapalli
Vinod Venkapalli is an Independent photographer based in Hyderabad. He holds a Post Grad Degree in Environmental Engineering and worked in a consulting firm before quitting the job to pursue his interest in arts. He was part of Curatorial Team- Indian Photography Festival, 2015 and 2016 editions. He was the jury for the world street photography (WSP5) competition in 2018 for the ‘workers’ category. He is a recipient of Toto Photography Award 2019. Vinod is presently a member of '13 Jara' collective and was a collective mentor of the Residency, ‘Reimagining the Family Portrait’ conducted by Chennai Photo Biennale. Vinod also recently cofounded ‘Guldasta’ for showcasing personal voices and narratives in the form of words, images, videos and zines.
Vinod also freelances with Reuters and his pictures are published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Aljazeera, Reuters, MSN South Africa, Daily Mail, Yahoo News UK, U.S. News & World Report, The Star (Malaysia), National Post, Haaretz, Investing.com and The Peninsula Qatar.
EXHIBITIONS / PROJECTIONS / SLIDESHOWS:
• Our India - Gather Art, Taiwan 2020
• Indian Photography Festival, 2019;
• Eyes on India- Eyes on Main Street, 2018;
• Pune Design Festival, 2017;
• Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa, 2016;
• Coloreel, Vizag 2016;
• Satya Art Gallery, Ahmedabad 2016;
• Auckland Festival of Photography, 2016;
• Head on Photo Festival, 2016;
• Indian Photography Festival, 2015
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