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oochappan | all galleries >> INDIA Tamil Nadu >> INDIA Mamallapuram >> Mamallapuram Portraits > Wannekkam
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Wannekkam

Srinivasan, farmer of Arunkundram, is teaching his daughter how to say Wanakkam, meaning as much as Welcome. As a woman she will be supposed never to touch another man then her husband, not even to say Hello.

This sign, two foilded hands together with an aproving waving head where the chin moves tiny from left to right shoulder and a soft smile is the key to open all doors to the heart of Tamil people. So if you ever plan to come here you better start practising before a miror.


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Phil Douglis28-Jul-2004 21:53
This image speaks of life, faith, and innocence, no matter what we may already know or not know about the culture. These are human values which are universal, Henk. The interplay of hands is remarkable, because of scale incongruity. The photograph not only is rich in human values and incongruity, but is also abstract as well. You only show the adult's (presumably the mother's) hands, implying, but not describing, her presence. That is best left to the imaginations of the viewers. Any image that is built on human values, incongruity, and abstraction is going to succeed as expression. This is one of those images.
Guest 19-Jul-2004 17:19
Hi, just wanted to say that this is a stunning image. Not that the other ones where not good but this one is spectacular. Kári Fannar Lárusson