https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

No Shades of Grey in This Young IAS Officer

Loud colours do not fascinate IAS officer Vivek K V as much as black and white do His colour preference is perhaps a reflection of how he looks at life Having seen the stark reality of life from an early age, he learned to capture it as it is
Indian Masterminds Stories

As a child, Vivek K V looked forward to Fridays. On this day, every week, he accompanied his mother to the cinema hall in his hometown Thalassery, in Kannur district of Kerala, to watch a film. His mother used to exclaim out loud, “what a shot!”, every time some scene touched her senses. Unbeknownst to both, these were the first lessons on photography for little Vivek. Every time his mother could not hold back her excitement, he looked long and hard at the screen and absorbed in the details. This eye for detail stood him in good stead throughout his IIT-IIM and UPSC days, and is now helping him in IAS, too. His documentations are meticulous. 

Today, as a fresh SDM in Baihar in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, the IAS officer never travels without his camera. Wherever he goes, whichever field he visits, be it an anganwadi or a panchayat office, he goes click, click, click, capturing every moment for eternity. What started as an interest at the age of 13, while flipping through Nat Geo magazines in libraries, has grown into a passion that heightens with every passing year.

IAS Vivek K V
IAS officer Vivek K V

In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, 2020 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, Vivek K V, shared how his work and photography blend effortlessly to complement each other perfectly.

SEEING WHAT OTHERS CAN’T SEE

When out on field visits, Mr. Vivek’s constant companion is his camera. He never moves out of his office or residence without it. And, it is not the phone camera! A Sony Alpha 6400 and a Ricoh GR III go with him. The former he uses for landscape and the latter for street.

Anything that captivates him, anything he finds strikingly ordinary, he captures with the lens. His penetrating eyes see the extra in the ordinary and captures it for posterity.

I don’t just capture faces. Mine are not portraits. I capture faces along with their environments. No particular genre as such, but you can call it street photography,” he said.

Street Photography by IAS officer Vivek K V
Street Photography by IAS officer Vivek K V

MADE FOR EACH OTHER

This passion for capturing the mundane, the routine, the ordinary is proving to be beneficial in his IAS career, as documentation is an integral part of his work. In fact, it complements his work by making his documentation more accurate and more powerful.

He said, “Usually, the documentation is in writing and figures. In my case, it is also in photographs. And, visuals always have a bigger impact. My photographs speak so much more than words.”

Another of his gem

BLACK & WHITE

However, although his photographs lend an extra layer to his documentation, when it comes to following his passion, he is a traditionalist. He prefers black and white photography. He explains why: “I feel that colours distract. Why play with colours when you can let the real light frame the stark portrayal, in black and white?

Nothing is more powerful than the truth, and for him, truth is black and white. He has had no formal training in photography. His first lessons were in the cinema hall, first teacher was Nat Geo, and first camera was a Nikon bought in a buzzing Kolkata bazaar while he was studying in IIM Calcutta. He draws inspiration from his favourite photographers Fan Ho, Ernst Haas, Eliot Erwitt, Saul Leiter and Sebastio Salgado, while he hopes to hold exhibitions of his collections sometime soon.

A signature Vivek KV capture

Lastly, the black and white photographer made it known plainly that he wants to be known more for his photography than for being in the IAS, with a subtle request to let his photographs do most, if not all, of the speaking.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
HAL_and_UAC_Sign_MoU_
HAL and Russia’s UAC Join Hands to Manufacture SJ-100 Passenger Aircraft in India under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’
KAATIL
India Takes a Giant Leap with ‘KAATIL’ — A Jet-Powered Loitering Munition Built for Future Wars
8th pay commission
Cabinet Approves ToR for 8th Central Pay Commission; Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai Appointed Chairperson, Recommendations Due in 18 Months
Zero Ka Dum
BPCL Signs Strategic MoUs with OIL, NRL and FACT to Drive Refining, Petrochemicals and Green Energy Growth
IAS Manoj Kumar Das
Who Is IAS Manoj Kumar Das, the New Chief Secretary of Gujarat? – A Technocrat Leader with 30 Years of Service
ASPJ pods procurement
India’s Sky Shield: IAF ASPJ Pods Procurement Enhances Su-30MKI’s Survival Edge
bureaucracy news
Two Senior Officers — Amod Kumar (IAS) and Brajesh Kumar Pandey (IDAS) — Prematurely Repatriated to Parent Cadres on Personal Grounds
Charan Suhave Guru Charan Yatra Lucknow
UP: CM Yogi Welcomes ‘Charan Suhave Guru Charan Yatra’ in Lucknow, Hails Guru Tradition of Sacrifice and Service
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Gokul S
Meet IAS Gokul S — The Officer Who Turned Disability into Determination | Video Interview 
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-23 at 10.40
Everybody Needs To Know What Is Transpiring Behind Closed Doors Of Courts
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
UPSC Journey Should Be Enjoyable, Not Cumbersome
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Gokul S
Meet IAS Gokul S — The Officer Who Turned Disability into Determination | Video Interview 
Visually impaired IAS officer Gokul S turned his challenges into change, empowering hundreds through...
Parmeshwar Chaudhary RAS
From Taunts to Triumph: How Farmer’s Son Parmeshwar Chaudhary Rose from Lab Assistant to SDM, Securing Rank 3 in RAS 2023
Parmeshwar, once taunted over his SI selection, has scripted a stunning success—securing Rank 3 in RAS...
IAS Rupal Rana UPSC
How Rupal Rana Cracked UPSC CSE 2023 with AIR 26 After Four Attempts
UPSC Topper Rupal Rana secured AIR 26 in 2023 after four attempts. Learn her preparation strategy, booklist,...
Social Media
Tenzin Yangki IPS Arunachal
Historic First: Who Is Tenzin Yangki, Arunachal Pradesh’s First Woman to Join IPS? Anand Mahindra Hails Her
She secured an impressive 545th rank in the prestigious UPSC Civil Services Examination - 2022.
IFS Parveen Kaswan
Heartbreak by the River: 15-Day-Old Elephant Calf Rejected by Mother, Rescued by IFS Parveen Kaswan and His Team
Jaldapra, West Bengal: In a moving incident that tugs at the heart, a 15-day-old elephant calf was rescued...
Ashwini Bhide IAS and Anand Mahindra
Who Is IAS Ashwini Bhide, Hailed as a Role Model for Mumbai Metro Transformation by Anand Mahindra?
From heritage to high-tech: Bhide’s leadership in Metro Line 3 earns public praise and admiration
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
HAL_and_UAC_Sign_MoU_
HAL and Russia’s UAC Join Hands to Manufacture SJ-100 Passenger Aircraft in India under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’
KAATIL
India Takes a Giant Leap with ‘KAATIL’ — A Jet-Powered Loitering Munition Built for Future Wars
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Gokul S
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-23 at 10.40
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT