Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

UNESCO award for Madurai photographer

Staff Reporter

Award winning picture.

CHENNAI: Photographic documents of a Madurai-based photographer received second prize at the UNESCO's Humanity Photo Award this year.

The photographer, R. Senthil Kumar, had documented Dhasera festival, which celebrates the killing of a treacherous demon by the Goddess Kali, a native tribal deity.

Every year in the month of October at midnight of festival day, villagers assemble at Kulasekaranpattinam near Thiruchendur to offer their prayers.

Dancing like honeybees

After fasting for a good number of days and prayers, people throng the place dancing like honeybees and dressed like goddess `Kali', holding fire pots. On the concluding night many come and seek the blessings from people who dressed up as goddess Kali.

Senthil Kumar (28) had documented people and life on the streets.

He is also documenting cultural identity of the natives and to capture the authentic culture of the community in the village.

With the nomination for World Press Photo Master Class in 2005, he earned four international awards for his Photo- Documentation & Photojournalism.

This year he earned the second prize for Humanity Award 2006 organised by UNESCO-CHINA Folklore Association-FORD Foundation.

Other documents

His other documents included jallikkattu, Cauvery delta people, bonded labourers, life of Madurai, Vaigai River, rural education and tsunami child victims.

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