When the Special Photographer of The Times of India in Chennai whips out his camera and starts clicking, there are sure to be gigabytes of keepers saved on the device’s memory card. A. Prathap’s gift is one he loves sharing with people, as affirmed by the many photography showcases he has occasioned over the last half a dozen years or so.
His images are mostly culturally themed, embellished with references to his motherland’s rich traditions. Take Vision of Odissi as an example, his 2012 photo exhibition held at the Forum Art Gallery in Chennai.
More recently, his work filled the pages of Quintessential Sutra, a pictorial tome by Sutra Foundation in Kuala Lumpur which was published in 2015.
Last year, the Sutra Gallery hosted Myriad Faces, featuring glimpses of Tamil Nadu’s folk theatre Kattaikkutu that he deftly immortalised.
Pious poses
Phratap’s latest venture saw him pointing his lens at one of his favourite subjects, famed Malaysian Odissi dancer Padma Shri Datuk Ramli Ibrahim.
The fleet-footed classical maestro was skilfully framed at the Ellora Caves in Maharashtra, India, where a mammoth rock‐cut monastery‐temple cave network resides. Considered as one of the planet’s largest religious cave complexes and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the venue provided breath-taking backgrounds for the creative photoshoot. 
Intricate stone reliefs, larger-than-life statues of deities, artful carvings and other ancient architectural wonders found here awe with their sanctified presence, the centuries-old patina adding to the magnificence.
With 34 temples and monasteries of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism heritage set into a basalt ridge, photo opportunities were not in short supply for the artistic pair.
Ramli’s poise is a harmonious inclusion in this setting, and the resulting photos certainly cause the eye to linger as it admires every detail. Don’t forgo the chance to appreciate these beauties at the Cave of the Heart exhibition, happening at the Sutra Gallery this month!
Cave of the Heart
Where: Sutra Gallery, 12, Persiaran Titiwangsa,
Titiwangsa, 53201 Kuala Lumpur
When: 10am-6pm (1-13 June)
Admission: Free
Tel: 03 4021 1092
sutrafoundation.org.my