Homai Vyarawalla

Homai Vyarawalla, born in 1913 into a priestly family in Navsari, Gujarat, was the first woman photo journalist in the country. Beginning her career as a photographer with the Bombay Chronicle and later the Far Eastern Bureau of the British Information Services, she soon came to be known for her compelling photographic images taken both before and after independence. She has a rare collection of interesting picture of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr Radhakrishnan and Mahatma Ghandhi. She freelanced for SPAN, life and many international publications and finally gave up photography in 1970. She was married to Maneckshaw Vyarawalla who was himself a photographer. She lost her husband 34 years ago and her only son 15 years ago. She currently lives in Baroda keeping herself busy with plants on her terrace and all the work, including repair and maintenance, of the household.

Ambika

K. R. Ambika is a Tamil theatre artiste who acts in folk and musical dramas performed in villages and towns. Her father was famous as an artiste and as a drama teacher. This video documentation of Ambika's life and work was done in Melalakshmanampatti and in Karur, Tamilnadu, where Ambika lives.