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Theyyam festival

Theyyam is a religious ritualistic dance where a fellow devote is dressed up in straw costume and is set on fire while he goes into a trance and blesses the pilgrims. He is believed to be transformed into a living embodiment of a deity. Practiced in the State of Kerala in South India.

Awards

Photographer of the Year Contest

2026

Bronze

Photojournalism

Professional

Bronze

Travel

Professional

Theyyam festival

Theyyam is a religious ritualistic dance where a fellow devote is dressed up in straw costume and is set on fire while he goes into a trance and blesses the pilgrims. He is believed to be transformed into a living embodiment of a deity. Practiced in the State of Kerala in South India.

About Artist

Robi Chakraborty

Bio by Robi Chakraborty I was inspired to choose photography by a family friend who took photos on many of our trips together in Africa. I studied pictorialism under O.P. Sharma at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi. I then worked in commercial and press photograpy in New Delhi until I moved to the US in 1985. Having lived out of my country-of-origin, India, for most of my life and having lived for many years in the US, Nepal and Africa, I feel my citizenship is one that is more global and anthropologic. I feel I can often bring a foreign lens or a new perspective to what may be familiar to me culturally. Photography has been my medium to capture humanity… and always an excuse to room in more rural and remote areas by train or bus! I enjoy spending time learning about the lives of people I photograph. My photography, thus, has focused on the people and landscapes of India, Nepal and the United States. I enjoy the whole experiential process of photography. I shoot with both 35 mm and medium format black-and-white and color slide film.

Robi Chakraborty

Photographic Areas of Focus

Abstract, Abstract, Architecture, Fashion & Beauty, Film/Analog, Film/Analog, Landscapes, Landscapes, Landscapes, Nature, People, People, Photojournalism, Photojournalism, Portrait, Street

Location

United States of America

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