2006. I’m an art director on assignment in Kochi (Cochin), designing a fashion campaign. For reference, we carry with us the mandatory references from international magazines for fear we won’t find them in sweet ol’ Kochi. And we were right, we don’t find the additional inspiration we are looking for. Meanwhile, Kochi itself is beautiful, but for big city girl like me who isn’t particularly drawn to beautiful sunsets and lush landscapes, Kochi has little to offer. A few days of hard work and some beef fries later, I escape back to the hip and happenin’ Bangalore, to complete the assignment long distance.
Cut to 2009. I’m now a photographer and believe it or not, been assigned the city of Kochi on assignment for Tasveer Gallery, Bangalore the National Daily Mid Day’s Anniversary. Luckily the focus is on people, so I take a deep breath and leave for god’s own city. The onset of monsoon, lush coconut groves, the fishnets dangling against the setting sun, the old Jewish town, the beef fry… none of that has changed for centuries. But in many other ways, Kochi is changing.
Not yet quite the city of cool, young urban hangouts, things-to-do and places-to-be-seen, Kochi today prides itself on a couple of new malls and pubs, a hugely popular reality TV show, the FM channel- Radio Mango, and some young dance and cultural groups. Of course, women from ‘good families’ aren’t meant to be out after 7 pm, certainly not with men or at bars, but they are. Aspirin isn’t the only drug that youngsters are popping. And Facebook remains a great place to meet, even in Kochi. Or maybe, especially in Kochi.
Fortunately, these are the people I found myself amidst. Mutual interests, mutual friends, mutual addictions like Facebook… who knows what made us all gravitate towards each other. But we did. I was welcomed with open arms and interest. And we were all for a good laugh over foolish banter. Intense conversations about carrying on family traditions and business, love, lust and relationships or doing something different in life. About being home and happy in Kochi, or escaping far, far away. Just some of the things that I call urban beginnings for a beautiful city.
For prints, please contact – Abhishek Poddar, Tasveer Gallery, Bangalore. India
Paper Size - 26.5 x 10.5 inches
Print size - 24 x 8 inches