Kattaikuttu
august 2023
Kattaikuttu is a theater tradition from rural Tamil Nadu dating back centuries. Theater companies travel through neighboring villages, performing beloved mythological stories requested by the audience. These performances last through the night, starting at around 8pm and finishing at 6am.
Backstage, lit by a single precarious lightbulb, the artists don their makeup and costumes in a frenzy. Many of them have at least 2-3 costume changes throughout the night. Whenever they are not performing, they are learning lines, drinking chai, or they are behind the orchestra, singing along.
Thilagavathi Palani and her fellow artists at Sri Krishna Kattaikuttu Kuzhu formed one of the first co-ed, formally trained companies in the area. Thilagavathi is one of the first women in her village to become a kattaikuttu artist, playing male and female roles, both of which are traditionally played by men. Many other women have started to ascend the stage, although they still face challenges in the patriarchal space.
Panasonic Lumix G5
Bangalore in Brooklyn
march 2023
Swetha Raju returns to Fort Greene Park every Saturday morning to spread her passion for South Indian food, and meet people in the process. 
Brooklyn Curry Project is a family-run organization, from sourcing ingredients to developing new recipes. It was Swetha and Venkat’s solution to a missing South Indian food scene in New York. 
A dosa is a staple of South Indian cuisine. It is made from a fermented batter of rice and lentils, and spread into a thin layer until cooked to a golden crisp. Traditionally, it is either left plain or filled with spiced potato. 
The Brooklyn Curry Project stand has been gaining popularity since it opened, and the lines every Saturday morning now stretch around the block. Swetha and Venkat take this opportunity to make new connections, often recognizing repeat customers and continuing their conversations from the previous visit. 
Swetha spends hours over the tava, or stove, fulfilling peoples’ orders. She finds relaxation in the repetitive action. 
Podi is a ground mixture of lentils and spices, and it is sprinkled onto the dosa to add spice and texture. Swetha’s recipe has been passed down through her family. 
Swetha and her husband Venkat are happy to be able to spend some time together outside of their day jobs. 
Swetha’s and Venkat’s children sometimes join them at the stand, but they love to spend quality family time at home together. Mahaty Raju, aged 7, loves helping out her parents with the dosa stand. 
Swetha is constantly playing and laughing with her children. Their shared passions include arts & crafts, food, and meeting new people. 
Swetha wants to pass down the cultural and culinary knowledge she received from her ancestors to her son Skanda (aged 13) and daughter. 
For major South Indian holidays, Swetha and her family host community meals, where they serve traditional fare on a banana leaf. For this dinner, over 56 people signed up. 
In the middle of a frenzied kitchen, Swetha enjoys a brief moment of respite with her husband.
This photo series tells the story of Swetha Raju, an I.T. worker by day, a dosa maker by night, and an immigrant from Bangalore. Upon arriving in New York, Swetha and her family found a lack of South Indian food and community, and set out to create both by starting their own food stand. Today, the savory South Indian delicacies have been tried by throngs of people, written about in countless food blogs, and brought people together.
Panasonic Lumix G5
An Undertaker in Brooklyn
april 2023
Sparrow Funeral Home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is reframing death by humanizing it. Familiies who hold services here want to celebrate the life of the loved one they lost. 
Alexander Agard is the funeral director at Sparrow. He is constantly juggling personal and professional phone calls. These two parts of his life merge as he often befriends the people he holds services for. 
Agard’s desk is full of different parts of his life. Among the items are piles of paperwork, a small mountain of ties for various services, leftover lunch, and cremated remains. 
Octavio Berrios Jr. died peacefully in his home, and was transported to Sparrow Funeral Home to be stored. Bodies are embalmed, dressed, and cleaned up in the funeral home itself. Agard usually oversees this process, and he sometimes performs the embalmment himself. 
Sheyra Veres (pictured) performs the embalmment on Berrios. She also dresses him and applies makeup to his face in preparation for his open-casket funeral. 
Agard (standing left) brings in his friend Oral Joseph to perform barber services for the funeral home. Joseph spends over an hour carefully cleaning up every stray hair. Here, Agard is showing the family of the deceased what he looks like over FaceTime. 
The whole process of preparing the body from start to finish is tender and compassionate. The team has an air of professionalism, but also deep respect for the body in their midst. 
Agard takes care to arrange Octavio Berrios Jr. in his casket and place a smile on his face, for the comfort of his loved ones. 
Agard is waiting to be of assistance as the daughter and granddaughter of the deceased grieve from the viewing couch. 
Berrios’s service included many African-American traditions, which Agard made sure to arrange according to the family’s wishes. Berrios’s granddaughter (pictured center) joins in on the prayer. 
Agard comforts the grieving widow of Octavio Berrios Jr. Photo by Samyuktha Sridhar 
Agard watches over the service, to ensure that everything is running smoothly. Prior to this ceremony, he was attending another service in the afternoon. He is never the center of attention but always present and ready to step in if needed.
Alexander Agard has been in the end-of-life care industry for over 10 years. He planned to apply to medical school after graduation, but he wanted to first familiarize himself with bedside manner. He has not looked back since, falling in love with the way he is able to make people feel at the most difficult times in their lives. Alex believes death is just another part of living, and he strives to tailor unique experiences and celebrations of life for each family’s needs. He is constantly on the move, often blurring the line between personal and professional to maintain friendships with the people he helps.
Panasonic Lumix GH5
Dream Fishing Tackle
february 2023
Dream Fishing Tackle in Greenpoint, Brooklyn displays a treasure trove of rare items, as can be seen from the outside. 
Everyone from antique shoppers to movie prop stylists shop at this store. 
Co-owner of the shop, Robert Pisorski, moved to the neighborhood as a young man, and has never left. 
Pisorski shows a customer a specific type of fishing spool winder. Pisorski has been selling fishing gear in this shop since the 1980’s. When his daughter Barbara joined the business, she suggested they sell furniture to keep up with the rising rent. 
A funhouse of furniture delights those who wander in. 
A taxidermied fox crouches amongst the maze. 
The shop has an expansive record collection, curated by Pisorski, from David Bowie to Japanese electro-pop. 
Two friends’ eyes light up as they find a surprise in the mix. 
Pisorski loves sharing his music, and has observed that vinyl sales have been a huge draw to the store lately, especially for younger people. 
Dream Fishing Tackle has been a long-time staple of Brooklyn’s historic neighborhood, Greenpoint. 
Pisorski has a listening station for customers to test the product before they buy. 
Pisorski watches as a customer jams out to a record he put on. 
After a long day’s work, Pisorski takes a smoke break.
Menton, France
august 2021
In the summer of 2021, I was waiting to start a new job, my lease was finishing up on my apartment, and my partner was also between jobs, so we decided to put our stuff in storage and live in Paris for a month, during which we took a weekend trip to Southern France. Watching people go about their daily lives amidst the vibrant buildings and sleepy, winding streets of the French-Italian town of Menton, I felt inspired. I was reminded of the importance of enjoying life’s simple pleasures.
Olympus OM-1, 35mm film
Samyuktha Sridhar 