Sunil Kumar G., a photographer from the Guntur district, was conferred the distinction of ‘Associate’ from the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) for his documentary on the Bonda tribe in Odisha. The Bondas are categorised as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
Mr. Sunil Kumar said that his documentary’s chief objective was to capture the Bonda tribe’s way of life. He said that this unique tribe existed as aborigines for 5,000 years and anthropologically, they had originated from Africa to India. He said that they still live in a primitive environment.
The uniqueness of the tribes is that they still follow a matriarchal society, where the female is the head of the tribe as well as the family. They decorate themselves with beads and ornaments with limited clothing, he observed. He captured their hamlets, practice of water collection, animal association, earthen pottery, mother-child interaction, and communal indulgence.
The RPS is one of the world’s oldest photographic societies founded in England.
