I belong to a village on the coastal side of Andhra Pradesh. I came to Bengaluru in June of 2013 for a trip, and once I experienced the warmth this city offers, I fell in love with it; it's been nine years, and I still feel the same. I completed my graduation in homoeopathy from Bengaluru medical college in 2019.
My father used to be a farmer; now, he takes care of the small nursery, and my mother is a housewife and the backbone of our house. My father was interested in photography, so he had a camera which I don't remember the name of as we didn't have a concept of brands at that time. I was fascinated by the flash and used to play with it all the time. Later the camera got lost, but my fascination with photography remained. I've had the ambition to be a doctor as I lost my brother due to a medical emergency when I was very young and thought maybe I could become a doctor and be there when people needed me.
When I came to Bengaluru, I clicked my first picture with my BlackBerry phone, and it just turned my fascination into a hobby and hobby into my art. Soon My parents gifted me my first camera, a DSLR. At first, photography was all about capturing people, but slowly I learned it's more than that; whoever sees my work should understand the story behind the vision with which I have captured the photo. It even changed my thought process. Now wherever I go, I see frames and how I should capture them.
The last two years were the toughest for me as a doctor and a photographer. At first, people from my hometown didn't acknowledge me much as a doctor, but during covid, things changed. I went to my hometown as I thought they needed me more as they didn't have many medical facilities, and when I worked in a government hospital there, I received more than 100 calls a day for the availability of beds. I didn't get to use my camera during those two years as being a doctor was more important to society then.
There is pressure in both the fields as being a doctor, you can be called at any time and for any given duration and as for a photographer, social media has created massive pressure as you have to please everyone. Whenever I go to the street and dump yards to click some photos, people wonder what is wrong with me, and when I tell them I am also a doctor, their looks change, making me kind of proud of myself. I love both of my professions.
"I can save lives as a doctor and capture their happiness as a photographer."
To be an artist, you must be patient and practice as much as possible. There are no shortcuts; it's like a snake and ladders without snakes. If you are lucky, you will get ladders; if not, you will get there step by step. And Never compare your journey to others; everyone has their struggle.
People often ask me, even after graduation, why do you still live in Bengaluru & I always reply with the same answer: this city is my first love. As I can meet new people here, I think it can boost my career in photography, and I cannot leave my medical field as my mother always wanted me to be a doctor & I believe:
"Art can only be appreciated if you're alive".
- Dr Krishna Pemmanaboiyidi
Written by :Â Vinay MatreÂ
Interview by : Aman
