Film Cameras: A brief history, and stellar images created with it
A selection from the camera museum Aditya Arya dreamt up while building a unique collection of analogue cameras in his waking hours
Curated By: Madhu Kapparath
VAGEESWARI VIJAY | 1945-1980
It was known as one of the best field and studio cameras the world over, and was manufactured in Alappuzha, Kerala, by K Karunakaran (KK). In 1942, a studio in Alappuzha approached KK’s father Bhagavathar, a musician who also earned his living by designing and repairing musical instruments, to repair the bellows of a foreign-made field camera. Impressed with the repairs, the studio owner persuaded KK to make his own field cameras, with teak wood and brass, with the lens imported from Germany. KK set up his shop in 1945, branding it Vageeswari (one of the many names for Saraswati, the goddess of learning), sold his first camera for ₹250, and went on to rule the market for over four decades.
