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
Ministry of Defence
Defence Ministry Opens Missile and Ammunition Production to Private Sector, Boosts Aatmanirbhar Bharat
Delhi Police
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha Orders Formation of 3 Units for Contingency Action Plan Amid Nepal Protests
Rajasthan High Court
Rajasthan High Court Allows Prosecution of Retired IAS Officer in Rs 8 Crore Wheat Scam
Uttar Pradesh CM resized
Sacred Confluence, Modern Vision: Yogi Govt Approves Rs. 1 Crore to Develop Durvasa Ashram as Tourism Hub in Azamgarh
Aapki Punji
Every Penny Counts: Finance Minister Launches "Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar" Campaign to Return Unclaimed Assets to Citizens
NATPOLREX
NATPOLREX-X 2025: Indian Coast Guard Hosts Mega Marine Pollution Exercise with 32 Nations in Chennai
CM Vishnu Deo Singh
Chhattisgarh Unveils Its First National Highway Tunnel: A Landmark in India's Infrastructure Drive Built in Just 12 Months
bureaucracy news
Senior IRPS and IRS Officers Receive Key Postings: Repatriation and New Appointment in GST Council Secretariat
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr G K Goswami IPS
Everything you ever wanted to know about e-murder, e-dacoity and data safety
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Ravikant Meena on IFS Preparation, Optionals, and Life in Forest Service
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
How Siddhartha Saxena Cracked UPSC CAPF AIR 326 Against All Odds
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Utkarsh Ujjwal IAS
IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal Shares Key Advice for UPSC Aspirants: Work Ethic, Failure, and Focus
Read the inspiring journey of IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal, 2023 batch, Gujarat cadre. From IIT Guwahati to clearing...
Sagar Datta Majumdar UPSC CSE 2024 AIR 317
“Don’t get trapped in the vicious cycle of self-doubt,” says UPSC Achiever Sagar Datta Majumdar
Discover how Sagar Datta Majumdar from Agartala, Tripura, cracked UPSC CSE 2024 with All India Rank 317....
UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar Live Interaction
From Cut-off Dates to Coaching & Reforms: UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar Assures Aspirants of Fairness, Transparency & a Future-Ready UPSC | UPSC@100
A Century of Service: The UPSC’s Landmark Year Begins. Chairman Ajay Kumar on UPSC’s Centennial: “Merit,...
Social Media
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Utkarsh Ujjwal IAS
IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal Shares Key Advice for UPSC Aspirants: Work Ethic, Failure, and Focus
Ministry of Defence
Defence Ministry Opens Missile and Ammunition Production to Private Sector, Boosts Aatmanirbhar Bharat
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr G K Goswami IPS
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT