Victor George (10 April 1955 – 9 July 2001) was an Indian photographer who died while photographing

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...

s in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. He was the chief photographer of the ''

Malayala Manorama ''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...

''.

Early life

Victor was born in the Pattithananm-Kanakkary village,

Kottayam district Kottayam (), is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that neither borders the ...

, Kerala. He studied English literature at university. His brother introduced him to photography.

Career

In 1981, Victor joined

, a

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

daily. From 1985 to 1990, he worked in their

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

bureau. The photographs taken by him during the 1986 National Games won him initial recognition in the field. His shots of the swimmer

Anita Sood Anita Sood is a former national woman swimming champion of India. She became the fastest Asian swimmer to cross the English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernés ...

with Kavita Sood cheering her from the gallery during the women's 400-metre freestyle brought Victor instant recognition. His photograph of the Indian relay team dropping the baton in a disastrous finish at the 1989

South Asian Federation Games The South Asian Games (SAG or SA Games), formerly known as the South Asian Federation Games (SAFG or SAF Games), is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among the athletes from South Asia. The governing body of these games is South Asia Olympic C ...

, Kolkata, was widely appreciated. In 1990, Victor became the Chief Photographer of ''Malayala Manorama''.

Death

On 9 July 2001, Victor set out from

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...

to cover a landslide that had claimed three lives in Cheppukulam, near

Thodupuzha Thodupuzha (തൊടുപുഴ) is a municipal town located in Idukki district, Kerala, India, that covers an area of . It lies on the banks of Thodupuzha river, which merges with the Kaliyar and Kothamangalam rivers at Muvattupuzha to for ...

, in the hilly Idukki district of Kerala. That afternoon, torrential rains triggered another landslide in Venniyani Mala, which killed Victor. His remains were recovered from the site of the landslide two days later.

References

External links

The Hindu - Light, shade and rainVictor GeorgeIt's Raining - The great rain book by Victor George
{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Victor 20th-century Indian photographers 1955 births 2001 deaths People from Kottayam district Journalists from Kerala Indian photojournalists Indian male journalists 20th-century Indian journalists Photographers from Kerala