Mathangi & Vijay

Back in March of 2022, Mathangi aka Matto hired me to shoot family portraits since her parents and Vijay’s were getting to meet for the first time post Covid lockdowns. What was supposed to be a quick 1-hour photo session at the IIT-Madras campus, turned out to be several 1-hours, hanging out with their uber fun parents, their stinkingly adorable little floof Casper, consuming copious amounts of iced tea, marvelling at the thoughtfully curated collectibles adorning their space, and the meditative reading/writing space they’d built for themselves.

I was thrilled when she reached out again towards the end of 2022, asking me to photograph the meet-and-greet they’d organised for their extended set of family and friends as they came to celebrate Mathangi and Vijay. In what is easily one of the most relaxed events I have ever shot in a decade, the guests piled into the IIT-M community hall on a sleepy Saturday morning, so evidently happy to see each other and catch up over coffee, while marvelling at the 50-feet fan in the hall. There was music, speeches that had everyone in splits, Casper’s entry towards the end that was a true star moment for this boy who loves attention, and the arrival of the famed IIT-M deer who came to snack on the marigold decor.

But what I held on to and will remember for a very long time to come is hearing these two exchange quick vows amidst their loved ones. I wished dearly I had someone from my team beside me, video-recording it for memory, but let me tell you this - Matto recited these famous verses from Kurunthokai:

யாயும் ஞாயும் யார் ஆகியரோ?
எந்தையும் நுந்தையும் எம்முறைக் கேளீர்?
யானும் நீயும் எவ்வழி அறிதும்?
செம்புலப் பெயல் நீர் போல
அன்புடை நெஞ்சம் தாம் கலந்தனவே

-செம்புலப் பெயனீரார். (குறுந்தொகை - 40)

My mother and your mother,
what are they to each other?

My father and your father,
how are they related?

You and I,
how did we know each other?

Like rainwater that falls and
merges with the red earth
our loving hearts have become one.

I’ve read this and heard this numerous times, but hearing Matto recite this to Vijay that day had my eyes well up with warm tears- no performative setups, no well-timed angles, punchlines, no frills, nothing - everything felt pulsatingly alive and real, and in that moment, those lines belonged just to these two.

Shot by: Siva Ksk
Venue: IIT-Madras Community Hall
Music concert by: Brinda Manickavasakan & team