ALAPPUZHA: Female photographer Shaija Thambi crosses 2 decades in inquest photography of dead bodies, a job even men shy away from. Forty-year-old Shaija is a prominent female presence among photographers who are asked by the police to photograph the dead bodies of those who die in unnatural circumstances.

Shaija, who is also the owner of ASG Center Studio, Cherukol, entered the field of inquest photography in her twenties after an acquaintance died in a car accident. When she came to take photographs at Alappuzha Medical College Hospital Mortuary, the policeman on duty said, "We need a male photographer to take such photographs!" The policeman's stand was that it is not right to assign women to photograph a naked male body. But when Shaija took a firm stand that she came as part of her work and she wants to get paid for the work she was doing, she was allowed to enter the morgue to take pictures for the first time. Shaija has taken pictures of more than fifty dead bodies so far.

Unforgettable experience

'Some deaths by hanging will be in very poor rooms. Photography is difficult there. Once the police suggested that the noose around a man's neck and the knot on the roof should be there in the picture. With no other option, I had to lean on the dead body's knee to take the picture. It was an unforgettable experience.' says Shaija

Father's gift was the inspiration

Shaija did a vocational course in photography at a Polytechnic when she was a graduate student at Kayamkulam MSM College. This was without the knowledge of her family. She was the only girl in the class among 18 boys.

Shaija informed about this to everyone at home only after receiving the certificate. She was expecting a negative response but got a surprise from her father instead. Shaija's father, Vikraman Thambi, encouraged his daughter by gifting her a Vivitar camera which he purchased by pledging gold. Since then, Shaija has been active in the field of photography as a freelancer. Her husband, Anil Kumar, who is an auto driver, and her family provide full support. Their son, Gurudas, is a 9th-standard student.

Will drive an ambulance

'My childhood ambition was to become a photographer, an ambulance driver, or a pilot. Even though the pilot dream did not come true, I will soon fulfill my dream of driving an ambulance. I also achieved a purple belt in karate.' - Shaija