History News Desk!! She was the first woman photojournalist of India. At the time when Homai Vyarawala was a photographer, the camera itself was a wonder. Even then, it was a big surprise for a woman to enter this field. She was honored with Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in the year 2011.
life introduction
Homai Vyarawalla was born on December 9, 1913 in a Parsi family in Navsari, Gujarat. Homai Vyaravala received his education in Mumbai. In the year 1942, he started working as a photographer in the British Information Services in Delhi.
Career in Photography
Homai Vyaravala made his debut in the field of photography in 1938. In those days, photography was considered a man’s field and the success of Vyarawalla, who was a woman, in this field was a great achievement. It is noteworthy that photography started in India in 1840 and since this art came to India from Britain, most of the Indian photographers used to adopt the style of British photographers for photography. In those days, photography in India was a hobby of the elite class people; its use for livelihood was rarely seen.
The professional adoption of photography in India started only after the beginning of the twentieth century and in those days this field was still male dominated. Although women had also started entering the field of amateur photography since the beginning of the second decade of the nineteenth century, Homai Vyarawala’s entry as a professional in this male-dominated field was a bold step. Homai Vyarawalla became India’s first woman press photographer and worked successfully in this field from 1938 to 1973. He started his photographic career from Bombay (present day Mumbai).
Photographs that bear witness to historical moments
Photographs taken by Homai Vyarwala bear witness to India’s independence and other historical moments. He has also clicked photographs while taking the salute to Lord Mountbatten at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He has taken a photo of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and his sister Vijay Lakshmi embracing. Along with this, he has captured rare photographs of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Gandhiji’s personal physician Sushila Nair along with Mahatma Gandhi. The young Dalai Lama is also among the photographs taken by Homai Vyarwala. A rare photograph of Jawahar Lal Nehru along with his two grandsons and Indira Feroze Gandhi has also been taken by Homai Vyarwala. He has also captured the funeral rites of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on camera.
nehruji favorite subject
Homai gained entry into the corridors of power during 1945 to 1960. Homai’s favorite subject was the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He took many memorable photographs of Nehru. The photo of Nehru lighting a cigarette with Miss Simeon, the wife of the British High Commissioner, on the first flight from New Delhi to London also remained imprinted in people’s minds for a long time. Apart from Nehru, she was also close to Indira Gandhi. His photos were especially popular during the Second World War.
Dalda 13
Homai Vyaravala was better known by her nickname “Dalda 13” rather than her original name. When Vyarawala got his car registered for the first time, he got the car number – “DLD 13”. This number of the car inspired him to keep his nickname “Dalda 13” and this nickname brought him a lot of popularity.[2]
demise
Homai Vyarawala, India’s first female photojournalist, who captured and saved moments from the freedom struggle to the implementation of the Republic in the country, died on Sunday, January 15, 2012, at the age of 98. Homai added a new dimension to the country’s journalism and set the example of the first successful female photojournalist. Vyarawala took photographs of the events before and after the partition of India, which made him famous.
Google Doodle
On the 104th birthday of India’s first female photographer Homai Vyarwala (in 2017), Google gave her a special tribute in the form of its Google Doodle. Homai Vyarwala’s photography was popular throughout the world. It was Homai Vyarwala who took the first photographs of the flag hoisting at the Red Fort on August 15, 1947. Homai’s childhood was spent with his father’s traveling theater company. She used to travel from place to place with the company and explore new things. During his career he took thousands of photographs. Many of the photographs taken by him proved to be ‘iconic’. Homai Vyarwala took photographs of many great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Radhakrishnan, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the Iron Lady of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi.