sans serif records the passing away of K. Narayanachari, the dark room assistant who rose to be the chief photographer of The Hindu in Madras. He was 85 years old.
An obituary in the paper notes:
Acknowledged as one of India’s finest and most productive press photographers, Chari believed that imagination, innovation, and total dedication were the essential qualities of a true professional photographer. Energetic and fiercely competitive, he did not hesitate to elbow his way forward in a crowd.
A pioneer in sports photography, Chari covered 106 Test matches and 15 one-day internationals.
The picture above is one of his most-talked-about action frames of the controversial run-out of left-hander Alvin Kallicharan in the second innings of the fourth Test at Madras on January 15, 1975.
“Umpire Satyaji Rao first turned down the appeal and then reversed his decision. India won the Test comfortably. At the time (when there was no question of TV replays), it was held that Chari’s revealing photograph had the effect of moderating the chagrin in the West Indian camp over the run-out. The picture seemed to suggest that Kallicharan may have been out of his crease when the ball uprooted the stump,” notes The Hindu.
Photograph: courtesy The Hindu
Read the full obituary: Chari, veteran photographer, passes away
IJR 