Of Gods and Horses, a photo from Tamil Nadu, South

Photographer's Note

Sometimes in Chennai by the roadsides, you get to see people selling beautifully made terracotta idols and figurines. This was one such roadside shop in Chennai. Terracotta craft involves using clay to prepare reddish brown unglazed earthenware, which is hand-modeled into various figurines, images and plaques. Terracotta is molded in many states into figures inspired by local legends and iconography, and has been practiced for centuries, since the Harappan civilization. To know more about terracotta crafts, you can visit this site.
What really caught my attention after a lot of shots was the golden hued Ganesha, the elephant faced God with a pair of horses behind him. Not that he prefers horses as his mount, the mouse, is his favourite.
It is customary to invoke the pot bellied, elephant faced, Lord before making any beginning. The remover of obstacles, the destroyer of sorrow, Ganesha represents a coming together of different traditions to form one composite deity. He is one God in India who is as much loved as he is revered which may be evident by the way Ganesh Chaturti, his birthday (which falls on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada (August-September)), is celebrated throughout India. Huge idols of the Lord are constructed and the week long festivities end when the idol is immersed in water (visarjan) accompanied by loud shouts of "Ganpati Bappa Moraya, Pudhachaya Varshi Lavkar Ya" in Marati meaning "Oh Lord Ganesh, please come back soon next year".

jhm, goldfish, weswang, Emile, Schultzy, MoosicMan, jjbach, shyamchat ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

thebig_d81 (777) 2005-05-02 10:40

There looks like there is so many hand crafted goods with too little room in the backpack. I like how you have included the story to this picture. Such amazing hand crafted figurines. Well done.

carper (96) 2005-05-02 11:13

very good photo Ranjith,
I like the good point of view, the good composition ful with details a very good pov and a good dof, very good job, I like the good job,
gr. Jaap

jhm (211736) 2005-05-02 11:35

Hi Ranjith,
Thanks for you interesting note, I like the sharpness and clarity in this picture, nice job and good composition.
Well seen!
John.

clodreno (0) 2005-05-02 13:38

Ganesha... Nice image Ranjith.
Thanks for your note too, very interesting. in fact it could be a very interesting reportage.. So may times did I encountered such roadsides shops all over India.

goldfish (71) 2005-05-02 22:49

beautifully composed ranjith. u'r photo is as beautiful as the idols. the small patch of green and blue add more beauty.perfect.
justin.

Luan (12971) 2005-05-03 4:18

VaNakam Ranjith ;o),
the Lord Ganesh Statue is very beautiful in foreground. There are so many nice details on you rcomposition, I like the DoF and especially the blue touch and the green of the palm trees on the bckg.
Well done.
Luan

greg64g (11193) 2005-05-03 9:28

Hello Ranjith,

Nice picture, it's not easy to photograph some objects, that's nice i like the light here
Cheers
greg

weswang (18247) 2005-05-03 10:28

Hi Ranjith, A well composed picture to have the main subject off the center and to show the environment. A nice DOF to have the main subject show clearly and blur the background. The 3-D status is captured vividly.

Emile (20352) 2005-05-03 11:59

Beautiful pic Ranjith, very well composed.
Nice colors and sharpness.
Excellent note, thanks.
Well done.

Schultzy (5446) 2005-05-03 16:05

Hi Ranjith,
Nice subject, well captured and perfect DOF. It seems the horses are following the elephant. Well done !

MoosicMan (1231) 2005-05-03 22:41

Hello, Ranjith, I like this shot quite a bit. I like the composition and the way you have chosen to focus the shot. Good note, too. I have wanted to visit Chennai for some time, I have some Rotarian friends there.
Best wishes,
Matt

gaby (19819) 2005-05-04 13:20

Hi Ranjith,
very nice shot - the sharpness and the tones are excellent (and also the note) -
Thanks
Gaby

jjbach (9326) 2005-05-06 4:32

Beautiful picture with great details and very fine depth. It's very sharp and clean with good colours. Very nice angle you chose!

Regards John

sandip (3492) 2005-05-13 14:59

This one is really nice Ranjith..The Ganesha idol is well captured here with along with the Horses.. blue pot is also nice to be included..

supereira (9576) 2005-05-30 12:17

Great details.I like the point of view and DOF.Good textures,light and shartpness.I like the colors and contrasts.Great note.Good job!

geetha (18) 2005-08-17 4:20

Hi,
I've seen this kind of road side shops many times in chennai. The picture is very sharp with nice colors . I especially like the blue and Gold(Ganesha).