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
Lamchonghoi Sweety (L S) Changsan
Sweety Changsan IAS Takes Charge of Revenue, Tribal Affairs & ASDMA in Assam
chandrachud1
SC Administration Asks Ex-CJI Chandrachud to Vacate Official Bungalow After Deadline Lapses
cji-br-gavai-supreme-court
CJI Changes 64-Year-Old Rule, OBCs to Get Reservation in Supreme Court Recruitment
Screenshot 2025-07-06 092240
Global Firefly Count Begins with India’s Lead: Conservation Policy in the Works - Details Inside
Raj DGP
Rajasthan: New DGP Rajeev Sharma Aims to Make Rajasthan a Model for Policing in India – Know His Future Plans for Policing in State
Leopard Threat on Kanwar Yatra
UP: Leopard Threat Looms Over Kanwar Yatra in Bijnor; Administration Steps Up Vigil with Drones and Patrolling
Ladli Behna Yojana Housing
Ladli Behna Yojana: 1.30 Crore Urban Beneficiaries to Receive Houses Alongside Financial Aid, Announces MP CM Mohan Yadav
Mohan Yadav
Rs 8,682 MSP for Moong: CM Dr Mohan Yadav Requests 40% Procurement Amid Surge in Cultivation
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
IRS Sanjay Bahadur: The Officer With a Pen That Bites | Video Interview
Inderjit Singh Air India
Is Air India Carrying The Burden of Split Before Privatisation?
Ex IRS C Rajendiran
Ex-IRS Officer C. Rajendiran Illuminates Thirukkural’s Timeless Wisdom in Exclusive Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS SHWETA BHARTI Bihar
From Wipro to Civil Services: How Bihar's IAS Shweta Bharti Juggled a BPSC Job While Preparing for UPSC
IAS Shweta Bharti, from rural Bihar, balanced a full-time job and UPSC prep with discipline, cracked...
IPS Deepak Meghani
Deepak Meghani, IPS: A Journey of Focus, Failure, and Quiet Discipline
A passionate writer, he has authored several books in Gujarati, ranging from exam strategy guides to...
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Social Media
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu’s Visit to NADT Turns into a Wholesome Tribute to Legacy—and ‘Moolchandj
The Olympic champion shared nostalgic memories, met aspiring IRS officers, and sparked viral laughter...
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Lamchonghoi Sweety (L S) Changsan
Sweety Changsan IAS Takes Charge of Revenue, Tribal Affairs & ASDMA in Assam
chandrachud1
SC Administration Asks Ex-CJI Chandrachud to Vacate Official Bungalow After Deadline Lapses
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
Inderjit Singh Air India
Ex IRS C Rajendiran
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT