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BEND IT LIKE BENDER
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This globe-trotting lensman with a discerning eye and a quest for spreading his knowledge is `Picturing Hope', says P. Sujatha Varma
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THE MOST wonderful thing one could learn in life is to live in the moment. Turn to a child and watch his utter delight in the gauzy wings of a dragonfly, his wonder at a nodding marigold and his awe at a soaring kite. Blame it on life, or adulthood and the responsibilities it brings with it. But we inevitably lose the magic of the moment as we grow older and supposedly, wiser. To fret and fume over spilt milk and to fear unborn tomorrows is a complete waste of time. But, there surely must be some art of seizing the moment. The moments you'd love to cherish all your life.
Craig Bender, a Paris-based globe-trotting photographer, has been helping people achieve just that. Savouring each minute of his life at the moment in the city of Vijayawada, this 39-year-old commercial lensman is part of a unique project undertaken by a US-based NGO, Picturing Hope, which is on an equally unique mission to identify and assist the poor and needy in the society, through photography.
Nostalgia creeps in as the affable foreigner, packed with enormous energy, talks about his foray into the world of photography. "My grandfather taught me the basics of photography when I was just 10. My first photograph got published in a US local daily when I was 13. It was a big moment for me.''
Doing his work with a great deal of meticulousness and technical expertise, he is able to translate the joys and sorrows of the world into photographs. "A single picture can depict many emotions. Photographs have started and ended wars. A very powerful tool for communication, they have, many a time, changed the course of the history.'' This is the second time Craig is in Vijayawada as part of his work but he has always managed to take time off his tight schedule to enjoy the `new findings' around him. Photography is his passion.
Craig with wife Heather
Everything he does is linked to photography. "I have a strong desire to make a difference in people's lives through my work,'' he informs flashing a child-like smile.
For Craig, life is like a whirlwind tour, always on the move. Boarding aeroplanes, checking into hotels and attending mid-night conferences form an essential part of his exciting lifestyle.
Given a chance, he would love to sleep which has now become a luxury for the busy traveller. ''We use photography and art therapy to help develop the orphan and vulnerable children in the society. The programme is supported by the internationally renowned US-based Abbott Laboratories.
Craig is here to document the child welfare activities undertaken by a local NGO, Vasavya Mahila Mandali.
Quiz him about this country and its people and he goes on endlessly about its goodness.
"I have a passion for India. Everything here is fascinating. It's amazing to find people with different skin colours and cultures leading a life so full of fun and harmony. Wherever I turn, I find something colourful, beautiful and emotional,'' he gushes with excitement.
The searing heat of the erstwhile Blazewada has not put him off. ''I am used to the extremes of temperature as I spent a long time in South Africa,'' he explains.
Like others, Craig too finds the Andhra cuisine irresistible. "I relish the spicy curries. The French food is completely mild sans this flavour.''
His experience of shooting around in the city has been `overwhelming'. "People here are extremely warm and easy-going with great sense of compassion. They go out of their way to help strangers.''
The French traveller find the place attractive too. "I don't have to travel very far to find beauty and vibrant colours. I also find great architecture in simple things around me here''.
His most endearing moments were in Tanzania where he met his American wife, Heather Houlihan, four years ago. Besides being the driving force behind his endeavour, Heather is also actively involved in a support programme.
"She was working in a very remote area and I took an instant liking to the enormous strength she exuded,'' he says fondly recalling,'' I moved my business to Europe three years ago to be with her because I knew that her company was what I wanted and needed the most.''
Craig is teaching photography to some 15 kids hailing from financially poor background at the VMM, as part of the Abbott's project in five countries including, India, Romania, Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Mexico. We do not often stop to think about what is right with our lives.
But Craig tops the list of people who take the pains to do stop and think about just that-the blessings in our life.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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