Vivek Muthuramalingam

ಚೇರ ನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ . ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಭಾರತದ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ನೈರುತ್ಯ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ರಾಜ್ಯವನ್ನಾಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ರಾಜವಂಶ. ಅವರ ನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ತೊಂಡಿ, ಮುಶಿರಿಯ ಮುಂತಾದ ಬಂದರುಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ಪ್ರಾಚೀನಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿನ್ನಾಡಿನ ಅಮೂಲ್ಯ ಸರಕುಗಳು ವಿದೇಶಗಳಿಗೆ ರಫ್ತಾಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದುವು. ಇತರ ಕಡೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ದುರ್ಲಭವಾಗಿದ್ದ ಸಾಂಬಾರ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಅರಣ್ಯೋತ್ಪನ್ನಗಳು ಈ ನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮೃದ್ಧವಾಗಿದ್ದುವು. ಪಶ್ಚಿಮದ ಬಂದರಾಗಿದ್ದ ತೊಂಡಿಯಿಂದಲೂ ಒಳನಾಡಿನ ಪಟ್ಟಣವಾಗಿದ್ದ ಕರುವೂರ ಅಥವಾ ವಂಜಿಯಿಂದಲೂ ರಾಜ್ಯವಾಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಚೇರ ಶಬ್ದದ ಅರ್ಥವೇನೆಂಬುದು ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಪೆರಿಫ್ಲಸ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಲಾಗಿರುವ ಸೆರೆಬೋತ್ರ ಎ೦ಬುದೂ ಅಶೋಕನ ಕೇರಲಪುತ್ರ ಎ೦ಬುದೂ ಇವರನ್ನು ಕುರಿತ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು. ಪಾಂಡ್ಯರು ತಮ್ಮದು ಚಂದ್ರವಂಶವೆಂದೂ ಚೋಳರು ತಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಸೂರ್ಯವಂಶದವರೆಂದೂ ಕರೆದುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದರಿಂದ ಚೇರರು ತಾವು ಅಗ್ನಿವಂಶಜರೆಂದು ಹೇಳಿಕೊಂಡರೆಂದು ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ. ಚೇರರ ಇತಿಹಾಸವನ್ನು ಸಾ ಶ. 3ನೆಯ ಶತಮಾನಕ್ಕೂ ಹಿಂದಿನಿಂದ ಗುರುತಿಸಬಹುದು. ಹಿಂದೆ ಹೇಳಿದಂತೆ ಅಶೋಕನ ಶಾಸನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇವರ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖವಿದೆ. ಸಂಗಮ್‌ ಯುಗದಲ್ಲೂ ಇವರು ಪ್ರವರ್ಧಮಾನರಾಗಿದ್ದರು. ಇವರಲ್ಲಿ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧನಾದ ಸೆಂಗುಟ್ಟುವನ್‌ ಸಿಂಹಳದ ಗಜಬಾಹುವಿನ ಸಮಕಾಲೀನನಾಗಿದ್ದ. ಇವರ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಕಳಭರ ಆಧಿಪತ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಒಳಪಟ್ಟಾಗ ತಮಿಳುನಾಡಿನ ಇತಿಹಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರ ಪ್ರಾಮುಖ್ಯ ತಗ್ಗಿತು. ಅನಂತರ ಅವರು ಪಾಂಡ್ಕರಿಗೆ ಇಲ್ಲವೇ ಜೋಳರಿಗೆ ಅಧೀನರಾಗಿ ಆಳಿದರು. ಮುಂದೆ ಚೇರರ ವಂಶದ ಶಾಖೆಯೊಂದರ ಅರಸನಾದ ಆಯರು ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಕೇರಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಮಂತರಾಗಿ ಆಳಿದರು. ತಮ್ಮ ಆಡಳಿತದ ಕೊನೆಯ ಹಂತದಲ್ಲಿ ಚೇರರಿಗೆ ಪೆರುಮಾಳರೆಂಬ ಹೆಸರಿತ್ತು. ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧನಾದ ದೊರೆ ಚೇರಮಾನ್‌ ಪೆರುಮಾಳ್‌ ನಾಯನಾರ್‌. ಈತ 9ನೆಯ ಶತಮಾನದ ಆದಿಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ. ಇವನು ಕಾಲಾಧೀನನಾದ ಮೇಲೆ ಚೇರ ಪರಂಪರೆ ಕೊನೆಗೊಂಡಿತು. ಕಾವೇರಿಯ ಉಗಮಸ್ಥಾನವಾದ ತಲಕಾವೇರಿಗೆ ಚೇರರು ತುಂಬಾ ಸನಿಹದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರೂ ಚೇರ ಕವಿಗಳು ಈ ನದಿಯನ್ನು ಚೋಳರಂತೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಕಾವ್ಯವಸ್ತುವನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳದಿರುವುದು ತುಂಬಾ ಕುತೂಹಲಕಾರಕ.

ಯೂಸುಫ್ ಖಾ.. ಚಾ ದುಕಾನ್ ಇಲ್ಲಿಯ ಪ್ರತಿ ಗಾಜಿನ ಲೋಟವೂ ಯೂಸುಫ್ ಖಾ ರವರ ತಾಳ್ಮೆಯನ್ನು ಅರಿತುಕೊಂಡಿದೆ... ಆರಂಭದ ಸಿಹಿಯ ತಳದಿಂದ ಕೊನೆಯ ಕಂದು ಬಣ್ಣದ ನೊರೆಯವರೆಗೆ ಹರಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಪರಿಮಳಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ನಾವೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಕಾಯಲೇ ಬೇಕು...

Walking the streets of Virajapete I was reminded of something I wrote in 2013: Late evenings when I found myself driving through the often not taken, usually descending, dimly lit dusty offshoots of the snaking highways of Coorg, I strained my eyes to get a glimpse of the homes in the smaller coffee estates. They usually sat nestled behind overgrown fences of lantana and poinsettia, and rusty gates that proclaimed the names of the owners in fabricated iron. Behind the gates began a dirt track which went up for a few metres and opened into a large flat ground where the coffee beans were spread out on tarpaulins to bask in the sun. Guarding it was a lone bulb indicating life, and a faded green house in which I deeply craved to spend a night. I imagined the vista it must have offered during the setting sun, with perhaps a warm cup of coffee in hand and the whoop of a langur in the distance. I longed to overhear conversations as families gathered outside in the coolness of the night to savour the expanse and the giggles of visiting grandchildren. They all would have the pleasure of going to bed early, I thought, as I drove ahead. (The second photograph is from 2013) #Virajapete #Coorg #Kodagu #WesternGhats

In the fourth episode of our series, Luru Hangs with…where we go behind the processes and pleasures of the city’s artists, we meet Vivek Muthuramalingam, a lens-based artist. In our time with him, Vivek introduces us to various analog photography practices and his fascination with them. These historical printing techniques have allowed for him to “make truce with photography”. For Vivek, image-making allows for his memories of those captured moments to be refreshed, remembered even. For the full story, sign up to the Luru newsletter. Link in bio. [artist studio, photography, analog photography, printmaking, Bengaluru, Bangalore, Luru] #lurunewsletter #lurumag #slowjournalism #bangalore #bengaluru printisalive

Our last visit to Kolkata in August was a quiet one, and the ease of our regular visits was telling. We settled in quickly and slipped into our creative flow. Rony’s home-cooked meal in a tiffin carrier was the first thing awaiting us when we landed. We squarely blame him for ruining our appetite for snacking outside. Fish with every meal is so, so appreciated. It was also the Hilsa season. Chai at our temporary abode was almost always paired with jeera-sprinkled New Mother biscuits — deeply comforting. A Wednesday concert at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy brought with it my secondary anxiety for the young performers. The fragrance of Parijata welcomed us every late-evening homecoming. Navya would stop to pick up a fallen few. Geeta Mashi’s love came through in every chai she served us. She cooked us dinner once. My endless fascination with Gondhoraj lemons and how I tend to sniff them at inappropriate times. A delightful patch of sunlight on our kitchen counter after a bout of torrential rain, egging us to step outside for a bit. Walking with the Chatterjees on a very rainy evening. A long, reflective walk from Princep to Babu Ghat and my unfounded fear of getting onto a boat at night. I promised Navya that next time we certainly would. Art in every corner of the city — I wish I knew to read Bengali. A roti for 2 rupees, and the generosity of making space for two in a congested eatery. Kolkata. #KolkataDiaries #CalcuttaChronicles #TravelNotes #QuietJourneys #CityVignettes #SlowTravelIndia

Between 2020–21, I made multiple trips to Sirsi and Banavasi in Uttara Kannada while researching nomadic and pastoral communities of the Deccan with my mentor, Gopikrishna. On one visit, he introduced me to environmentalist Panduranga Hegde (of the Appiko movement), and that evening in Banavasi drifted away in stories. Hegde sir shared how each year he sets aside time for a solo journey to a landscape that has caught his imagination — I remember him narrating his motorcycle ride across the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia, filled with moving encounters with locals. It reminded me how much of travel truly happens in conversations and chance meetings. Visuals by themselves amount to little. Bruce Chatwin believed the same — that stray conversations carry the soul of a place, helping the reader build a textured sense of landscape and people. I confessed my own obsession with Karnataka — its land and histories. He smiled and said: “Vivek, spare me one day — I’ll show you around.” The next morning, we set off through dusty village roads, broad-leaf forests and grasslands. We stopped often to speak with shepherds. I watched how deeply curious and respectful he was. Even here, in his own backyard, he said, there is always something new to learn. #UttaraKannada #Karnataka #PastoralHistory #AppikoMovement #Banavasi #Sirsi #heritage #FieldNotes (2, 3, 4) Shepherd Vittal Shingadi at Jade, near Banavasi — he spread out a kambli for us to sit on, while his wife Lakkavva served tea made with sheep’s milk. (5, 6) Kaitabeshvara Temple, Kubatur — Hoysala period of Vinayaditya (c. 1100 CE), a feudatory of the Kalyani Chalukyas under Vikramaditya VI; largely Chalukyan in style. (7, 8, 9) Trimurti Narayana Temple, Bandalike (c. 1160 CE) — attributed to the Kalyani Chalukyas. Bandalike was a major centre for Jainism and the Shaivite Kalamukha tradition. (10) Inscribed pillar, Talagunda (5th century CE) — birthplace of the Kadambas of Banavasi. Records the founding of the dynasty by Mayursharma. (11, 12, 13, 14) Tripurantakeshwara Temple, Balligavi (c. 1070 CE) — Kalyani Chalukya temple known for its erotic sculpture panels and perforated stone screens.

On our way back from Kundapur after celebrating Sushma & Suneel’s wedding, we took a detour to visit Navya’s old friend, now a practicing veterinarian in Mangalore. When Sudhanva was studying in Bangalore, he and Navya were part of a small circle of young musicians who attended concerts together and practiced whenever they could steal time from their studies. During their impromptu reunion, it didn’t take much persuasion for the two of them to sit down and play — half an hour of violin and sitar, just like old times. It was calming to hear their music drift through the lanes of Maroli in that laterite-red afternoon. Before meeting him, we wandered into the nearby Guardian Angel Church, drawn by the sound of a cheerful choir. The pipe-organ, (or was it a keyboard made to sound like one?) was played wonderfully by a young musician, who quietly rode away on her scooter as soon as the service ended. The sound of Tulu chatter lingered in the air — gentle and soothing. Sudhanva’s father, Dr. Manohar Upadhya, is also a veterinarian — and a serious photography enthusiast who spent years documenting Yakshagana artists in the region. I had followed his work devotedly during the Flickr days and had even once called their landline to express my admiration. We stayed in occasional touch after that. His brother, Prabhakar Upadhya, is a well-known Yakshagana artist who explored the solo form, often performing female roles. Earlier that week, on our way to Kundapur, we made our customary stop at our dear friend Bhargav’s home in Shantigrama — now tastefully filled with objects from his travels. We arrived just in time for celebrations at his father’s rice and oil mill, and a breakfast of puris and sagu. I get most excited when someone asks me, “What route do we take?” It’s usually decided not by distance, but by where friends live. #Kundapur #Mangalore #Koteshwar #KarnatakaStories #Yakshagana #RoadTrip

On the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava, vignettes from a recent journey through Karnataka — one that hoped to rekindle our connection with the land, its layered history, and the cultural traces left behind by our ancestors. Like our first such journey in 2017, this trip too followed a simple mandate: to seek stories off the beaten path. My brother Loki, our dear friend Pramod, and I co-curated a route that led us from Rashtrakavi Kuvempu’s Kuppali to Ādikavi Pampa’s Banavasi. This year, we loosely centered our travels around the Keladi Nayakas, the often overshadowed rulers who rose to prominence after the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire and governed these parts for nearly 250 years. Their legacy, scattered across temples, towns, and memory, quietly shapes much of coastal and malnad Karnataka. There is so much to say about each place we explored, but for now, here are a few glimpses! 1. Tablet inscribed with medieval Kannada poet Janna’s verses praising Hoysala King Veera Ballala II — Amrutheshwara Temple, near Tarikere 2. The Amrutheshwara Temple (1196 CE), built by Amrutheshwara Dandanayaka 3. Ornate shikhara of the temple 4. My companion on this journey 5, 6. Kuvempu’s ancestral home, Kuppali, near Thirthahalli 7. River Tunga, Thirthahalli 8. Filter coffee on Car Street, Thirthahalli 9. Monolithic pillar at the Panchakuta Jain Basti, Humcha (1077 CE, built by Chittaladevi) 10. Old Kannada inscription in the Basti, Humcha 11. Idol of Parshvanatha in the Panchakuta Basti, Humcha 12. Local produce for sale on the way to Sagara 13, 14, 15. Aghoreshvara Temple, Ikkeri — granite structure blending Vijayanagara, Karnataka Dravida (Later Chalukya), and Hoysala styles 16. Jog Falls 17. Fish meals at Hotel Mahabala, Sirsi 18. The quietly flowing Shalmala River, near Sirsi 19, 20. The 4th-century Madhukeshvara Temple, Banavasi — built by the Kadambas, Karnataka’s first indigenous dynasty With @lokimuthu #roadtrip #Karnataka #Hoysala #heritage #history #Chalukya #Kadamba #Banavasi

Through cyanotypes, salted prints, and slow listening, Vivek Muthuramalingam creates images that carry both memory and touch — a practice of care as much as art. Discover his process in our Photo Q&A section in Arts Illustrated Volume 09 Issue 03. Grab your copy at Art Houz. . . . #ArtsIllustrated #ContemporaryPhotography #VisualStorytelling #ArtMagazine #PhotographyFeature #IndiaArtScene #VisualsOfLife #CaptureTheMoment #Photography #StreetPhotography #AgameOfTones #PhotographersOfIndia

Kanike Studio (@kanikestudios ) , founded by lens-based artists Vivek Muthuramalingam (@drvivekm ), Indu Antony (@induanony ), Krishanu Chatterjee and Aparna Nori (@aparna_nori ), is inside a house tucked away in Cooke Town, Bengaluru. It has grown into one of the few spaces in India dedicated to historic 19th century photographic processes—from salt and albumen prints to Van Dyke brown, silver gelatine, and wet plate collodion. Kanike, as it stands today, was born out of the need for a shared studio space that wasn’t just about square footage but about sensibility. The studio’s rhythm is slow, deliberate and almost anti-productive in its philosophy. Read more about it at the link in bio Written by @prernamakhija Photography by @riteshuttamchandani #BeautifulHomesIndia #AsianPaints #StudioTours [Beautiful Homes India, Asian Paints, Kanike Studios, Studio Tours, Bengaluru, Bengaluru Studios, The Way We Work]

I chose a photograph from my very first trip to Hyderabad—shot on black-and-white film nearly 15 years ago—for this cyanotype print, made using the Mike Ware method. Revisiting the city on an assignment recently, I was struck by how much the landscape around the Charminar had changed, which sent me digging through my old negatives. Back then, I was still an ardent street photographer, chasing ‘interesting compositions’ (as I thought good photography required)—a notion I only questioned much later. Cyanotype Print Hahnemühle Platinum Rag 300 gsm paper 9” x 12” August 2025 Editions: 4 + 1 AP Handwaxed for additional archival stability Frame: Brushed Aluminium Please DM for the price :) #Cyanotype #AlternativePhotography #MikeWareMethod #LimitedEditionPrint #ArchivalPrint #HandmadeArt #BluePrint #Charminar #Hyderabad

I consider myself a slow reader when it comes to fiction, digressing half-way, to my own annoyance, to dig deeper into the writer’s biography, consuming interviews and taking a pause to read their essays or short pieces they may have dropped elsewhere before returning to their book. Therefore, when I completed three books in a span of a month in a rare act in May, I thought I should reserve a post for them. I picked up Ayşegül Savaş’ The Anthropologist soon after I thoroughly enjoyed her short story in the New Yorker—Marseille—in which three college friends reunite over a holiday and witness the tussle between nostalgia and the scars that have shaped them in the interim they were away from each other. In The Anthropologist, Savaş allows an intimate glimpse into a young couple’s relationship as they go looking for a ‘home’ in a foreign city. In both the pieces, the writer has a way of portraying the nuances of relationships, with care and subtlety and often speckled with unexpected humour. ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ was part of non-detailed text in my 7th grade (I think), and like with other language books, it was read even before the academic year began. In James, Percival Everett retells the classic this time from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. It begins in a witty tone, only to bare open the dark, gut-wrenching dark side of slavery in America of the 1800s. For me, this became a cue to read about slave history of America and only wish this was also taught in schools as an adjunct, particularly when children are exposed to words such as ‘slaves.’ Han Kang’s ‘The Vegetarian’ kept me awake a few nights in a row and is one of those books that you just ‘can’t put down’, as the cliche goes. It’s a dark and terrifying portrayal of a Korean woman’s struggle to break away from the violence inflicted by the society’s ideas of beauty and sanity, set against a dense forest that reminded me so much of the Korean horror film, ‘The Wailing.’ Han Kang’s storytelling is ensnaring and fearless, and I found myself pouring out much empathy for the characters. #SlowReader #AysegulSavas #TheAnthropologist #PercivalEverett #HanKang #TheVegetarian #FeministLiterature