Homai Vyarawalla

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Homai Vyarawalla
File:Homai Vyarawalla Photo.jpg
Born(1913-12-09)9 December 1913
Died15 January 2012(2012-01-15) (aged 98)
NationalityIndian
EducationSir J. J. School of Art
OccupationPhotojournalist
SpouseManekcshaw Vyarawala
ChildrenFarouq [1]

Homai Vyarawalla (9 December 1913 – 15 January 2012), commonly known by her pseudonym "Dalda 13," was India's first woman photojournalist. First active in the late 1930s, she retired in the early 1970s. In 2011, she was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of the Republic of India.[2]

Early life and education

Born on 9 December 1913[3][4][5] at Navsari, Gujarat, Vyarawalla, studied at the Bombay University and the Sir J. J. School of Art.[6]

Personal life

A Gandhian at heart, Vyarawalla imbibed the Mahatma's teachings in her everyday life. She followed a simple, spartan lifestyle, and lived in near-anonymity for years.[7]

Career

She started her career in 1930s and thereafter received notice at the national level when she moved to Mumbai in 1942 with her family, before moving to Delhi, where in the next thirty years she photographed many political and national leaders, including Gandhi, Nehru, Indira Gandhi and the Nehru-Gandhi family while working as a press photographer. At the onset of the World War II, she started working on assignments of the Bombay based The Illustrated Weekly of India magazine which over the years till 1970, published many of her black and white images, which later became iconic. [7] After the death of her husband she moved to Vadodara in 1973.

In 2010, the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi (NGMA) in collaboration with the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts presented a retrospective of her work. [7]

Homai Vyarawalla took a number of memorable photographs during her career. Her favorite subject was Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.

Most of her photographs were published under the pseudonym “Dalda 13″. The reasons behind her choice of this rather amusing name were that her birth year was 1913, she got married at the age of 13 and her first car’s number plate read “DLD 13″.

In 1970, shortly after her husband's death, Homai Vyarawalla decided to give up photography lamenting over the "bad behaviour" of the new generation of photographers. She did not take a single photograph in the last 40+ years of her life. When asked why she quit photography while at the peak of her profession, she said "It was not worth it any more. We had rules for photographers; we even followed a dress code. We treated each other with respect, like colleagues. But then, things changed for the worst. They (the new generation of photographers) were only interested in making a few quick bucks; I didn't want to be part of the crowd any more".[7]

Death

Homai Vyarawalla stayed alone, had slipped and fallen in her residence on Thursday and fractured a hip bone. Her neighbours had helped her reach a hospital where she developed breathing complications. She had been suffering from interstitial lung disease which resulted in her death at 10.30am on 15th January, 2012[8]

References

  1. ^ Vyarawalla, Homai (Jan 16 2012). indianexpress http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indias-first-woman-photojournalist-a-c.../900173/. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ "An iconic observer - The curious life and times of Homai Vyarawalla". The Telegraph. January 23 , 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  3. ^ "Magazine / Personality : India through her eyes". The Hindu. 2006-03-12. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  4. ^ "The Times of India on Mobile". M.timesofindia.com. 1913-12-09. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  5. ^ "Photojournalism: Arthur Fellig (Weegee) and Homai Vyarawalla". Mendeley. 1913-12-09. doi:10.1080/17512780802560823. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  6. ^ "Homai gets Padma Vibhushan". The Times of India. Jan 25, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d "Meet India's first lady photographer Homai Vyarawalla". Rediff.com. 3 Mar, 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "ec" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ Vyarawalla, Homai. "India's first woman photojournalist dead". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
Bibliography
Magazine articles

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