‘Hurting religious sentiments’; A photoshoot of a woman with wine bottles and cigarettes stirred controversy

Kerala: A woman in a goddess appearance with draped in a dark red saree, sits with a lotus, a conch shell, and a Trishul in her hands. This photoshoot has stirred controversy on the Internet in recent times “A woman is considered a goddess, but what is she treated like? Often made to sit on a pedestal of purity, innocence, and tolerance, she is stripped of her individuality. Isn’t it time that we accept her humanity?” a set of three photos is captioned.

In another set of photos, the conch shell, lotus, and Trishul are lying on the ground as she smokes. A bottle of wine is lying on her lap. In the background, there is a radio. “Labels like “wh*re”, “sl*t”, and “rebel” await women who dare to step off the pedestal that she is made to stand on. The Times, they are a-changing and she no longer cares,” the second set is captioned. Dia John, a photographer based in Kerala’s Aluva, captured stunning pictures of Athira Harikumar to talk about women’s freedom. The team included makeup artist Jacob Anil, stylist Zohib Zayi, along with assistant photographers Justin Paul and Akshay Ranjith. “Everywhere, it is expected that women are obedient and that they should not be given freedom. But they want freedom. They have dreams,” John said.