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{{short description|British-born writer and photographer}}
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| name = Pepita Seth
| name = Pepita Seth
| image = Pepita Seth(1).jpg
| image = Pepita Seth(1).jpg
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| birth_place = [[Suffolk]], UK
| birth_place = [[Suffolk]], England
| death_date =
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| othername =
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| occupation = Writer, photographer
| occupation = Writer, photographer
| yearsactive =
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| spouse =
| spouse = [[Roshan Seth]] (div. 2004)
| domesticpartner =
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| children =
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| parents =
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| awards = [[Padma Shri]]
| awards = [[Padma Shri]]
}}
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'''Pepita Seth''' is a British born writer and photographer, known for her accounts of the temple arts and rituals of [[Kerala]] and her photographs of the widely celebrated captive elephant, [[Guruvayur Keshavan]]. The [[Government of India]] honoured her, in 2012, with the [[Padma Shri]], the fourth highest civilian award, for her services to the field of art and culture.<ref name="Padma">{{cite web | url=http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=79881 | title=Padma | publisher=Government of India | date=25 January 2011 | accessdate=22 August 2014}}</ref><ref name="Padma news">{{cite web | url=http://theindianawaaz.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6708%3Apresident-confers-padma-awards&catid=9%3ATOP+AWAAZ&Itemid=57 | title=President confers Padma Awards | publisher=The India Awaaz.com | date=23 March 2012 | accessdate=22 August 2014}}</ref>
'''Pepita Seth''' is a British-born writer and photographer, known for her accounts of the temple arts and rituals of [[Kerala]] and her photographs of the widely celebrated captive elephant, [[Guruvayur Keshavan]]. The [[Government of India]] honoured her, in 2012, with the [[Padma Shri]], the fourth highest civilian award, for her services to the field of art and culture.<ref name="Padma">{{cite web | url=http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=79881 | title=Padma | publisher=Government of India | date=25 January 2011 | access-date=22 August 2014}}</ref><ref name="Padma news">{{cite web | url=http://theindianawaaz.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6708%3Apresident-confers-padma-awards&catid=9%3ATOP+AWAAZ&Itemid=57 | title=President confers Padma Awards | publisher=The India Awaaz.com | date=23 March 2012 | access-date=22 August 2014}}</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==
{{quotebox|align = right|qalign = center|width=20em|"Oh, he was not an animal. I still remember the look he gave me as I positioned my camera… it was divine, as though he sensed that it was the beginning of my bond with the temple." says Pepitha Seth on [[Guruvayur Keshavan]]<ref name="Guruvayur Keshavan">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/crowning-glory/article2876734.ece | title=Crowning glory | publisher=The Hindu | date=10 February 2012 | accessdate=22 August 2014 | author=Geetha Venkitaraman}}</ref>}}
{{quotebox|align = right|qalign = center|width=20em|"Oh, he was not an animal. I still remember the look he gave me as I positioned my camera… it was divine, as though he sensed that it was the beginning of my bond with the temple." says Pepitha Seth on [[Guruvayur Keshavan]]<ref name="Guruvayur Keshavan">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/crowning-glory/article2876734.ece | title=Crowning glory | work=The Hindu | date=10 February 2012 | access-date=22 August 2014 | author=Geetha Venkitaraman}}</ref>}}


[[File:Guruvayoor Kesavan Statue.jpg|thumb|250px|Guruvayoor Kesavan's Statue at Guruvayur.]]
[[File:Guruvayoor Kesavan Statue.jpg|thumb|250px|Guruvayoor Kesavan's Statue at Guruvayur.]]
[[File:Pepita Seth taking photograph.jpg|thumb|250px|Pepita Seth taking photograph]]
[[File:Pepita Seth taking photograph.jpg|thumb|250px|Pepita Seth taking photograph]]


Pepita Seth was born in [[Suffolk]], [[East of England]], UK, in a family of farmers. Pepita's maternal great grandfather was a soldier who served in the army in the [[British India]]. As was the custom during those days, Pepita, being a girl, did not have any formal education.<ref name="Guruvayur Keshavan" /> She, choosing a career in films, studied film editing and got opportunities to work under film directors like [[Ted Kotcheff]] and [[Stanley Donen]]. However, Pepita's life took a turn when she chanced upon the diary of her grandfather and decided to trace his trails with the [[British Army]] and document the movements and landed in [[Kolkata]], in 1970.<ref name="Guruvayur Keshavan" /><ref name="Lila Interactions">{{cite web | url=http://www.lilainteractions.in/2014-3-8-pepita-seth-eddin-khoo-plurality-co-writing-wider-history/ | title=Lila Interactions Article | publisher=Lila Interactions | date=3 March 2014 | accessdate=22 August 2014}}</ref><ref name="The Penguin Book of New Writing from India, Volume 2">{{cite book | title=The Penguin Book of New Writing from India, Volume 2 | publisher=Penguin India | author=Penguin Books | year=2006 | location=Delhi | pages=134 of 308 | isbn=9780144001071}}</ref><ref name="Marunadan Malayalee">{{cite web | url=http://marunadanmalayalee.com/pepitha-seth-66215.html | title=Marunadan Malayalee | publisher=Marunadan Malayalee.com | date=29 January 2012 | accessdate=22 August 2014}}</ref>
Pepita Seth was born in [[Suffolk]], [[East of England]], in a family of farmers. Pepita's maternal great grandfather was a soldier who served in the army in the [[British India]]. As was the custom during those days, Pepita, being a girl, did not have any formal education.<ref name="Guruvayur Keshavan" /> She, choosing a career in films, studied film editing and got opportunities to work under film directors like [[Ted Kotcheff]] and [[Stanley Donen]]. However, Pepita's life took a turn when she chanced upon the diary of her grandfather and decided to trace his trails with the [[British Army]] and document the movements and landed in [[Kolkata]], in 1970.<ref name="Guruvayur Keshavan" /><ref name="Lila Interactions">{{cite web | url=http://www.lilainteractions.in/2014-3-8-pepita-seth-eddin-khoo-plurality-co-writing-wider-history/ | title=Lila Interactions Article | publisher=Lila Interactions | date=3 March 2014 | access-date=22 August 2014}}</ref><ref name="The Penguin Book of New Writing from India, Volume 2">{{cite book | title=The Penguin Book of New Writing from India, Volume 2 | publisher=Penguin India | author=Penguin Books | year=2006 | location=Delhi | pages=134 of 308 | isbn=9780144001071}}</ref><ref name="Marunadan Malayalee">{{cite web | url=http://marunadanmalayalee.com/pepitha-seth-66215.html | title=Marunadan Malayalee | publisher=Marunadan Malayalee.com | date=29 January 2012 | access-date=22 August 2014}}</ref>


The journey from Kolkata ended in Guruvayur where she became fascinated by the temple arts and rituals of Kerala. For the next nine years, she visited Kerala several times and, in 1979, she found a home and settled in Guruvayur.<ref name="Marunadan Malayalee" /><ref name="The Hindu Heaven on Earth">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-literaryreview/from-the-blurb/article1438266.ece | title=From the Blurb | publisher=The Hindu | date=7 December 2008 | accessdate=23 August 2014}}</ref> Though, at first, she was denied entry to the [[Guruvayur Temple]], her persistence made the [[Guruvayur Devaswom Board]] to relent and she remains the only foreigner to be granted entry to the Temple.<ref name="Lila Interactions" /><ref name="Heaven on Earth" />
The journey from Kolkata ended in Guruvayur where she became fascinated by the temple arts and rituals of Kerala. For the next nine years, she visited Kerala several times and, in 1979, she found a home and settled in Guruvayur.<ref name="Marunadan Malayalee" /><ref name="The Hindu Heaven on Earth">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-literaryreview/from-the-blurb/article1438266.ece | title=From the Blurb | work=The Hindu | date=7 December 2008 | access-date=23 August 2014}}</ref> Though, at first, she was denied entry to the [[Guruvayur Temple]], her persistence made the [[Guruvayur Devaswom Board]] to relent and she remains the only foreigner to be granted entry to the Temple.<ref name="Lila Interactions" /><ref name="Heaven on Earth" />


Pepita was married to the Indian born British actor [[Roshan Seth]] but was estranged from her husband in the late 80s. The couple formally divorced in 2004.<ref name="Roshan Seth">{{cite web | url=http://www.veethi.com/india-people/roshan_seth-profile-6294-14.htm | title=Roshan Seth | publisher=Veethi.com | date=2014 | accessdate=22 August 2014}}</ref>
Pepita was married to the Indian born British actor [[Roshan Seth]] but was estranged from her husband in the late 80s. The couple formally divorced in 2004.<ref name="Roshan Seth">{{cite web | url=http://www.veethi.com/india-people/roshan_seth-profile-6294-14.htm | title=Roshan Seth | publisher=Veethi.com | date=2014 | access-date=22 August 2014}}</ref>


Pepita Seth has extensively covered the rituals and temples of Kerala through her photographs. Her photographs of the elephant, [[Guruvayur Keshavan]] have been published in many magazines and journals including the [[New York Times]] and the [[Guardian Media Group|Guardian]].<ref name="Marunadan Malayalee" /> It is generally considered that Pepita's photographs of the rituals and temple arts of Kerala have helped promote the image of Kerala as a tourist destination.<ref name="Marunadan Malayalee" />
Pepita Seth has extensively covered the rituals and temples of Kerala through her photographs. Her photographs of the elephant, [[Guruvayur Keshavan]] have been published in many magazines and journals including the [[New York Times]] and the [[Guardian Media Group|Guardian]].<ref name="Marunadan Malayalee" /> It is generally considered that Pepita's photographs of the rituals and temple arts of Kerala have helped promote the image of Kerala as a tourist destination.<ref name="Marunadan Malayalee" />
Line 43: Line 39:


==Books and articles==
==Books and articles==
Pepita's most recent boon ''In God's Mirror: The Theyyams of Malabar,'' documents the extraordinary 2,000 year-old ritual of worship, Theyyam, found only in India's south- western state of Kerala.

* {{cite book | title=In God's Mirror: The Theyyams of Malabar | publisher=Scala | author=Pepita Seth | date=2023 | location=London| isbn=9781785514111}}

Pepita Seth has authored two books on Kerala, with accounts and photographs.
Pepita Seth has authored two books on Kerala, with accounts and photographs.


''Heaven on Earth: The Universe of Kerala’s Guruvayur Temple'' is a research study on the [[Guruvayur Temple]] and the life, traditions, beliefs, myths and rituals associated with the place. It also covers the elephants fostered by the temple, especially [[Guruvayur Keshavan]], widely regarded as the most famous of them all. The book follows an ''account with photographs'' style and has represented the information gathered from various sources, including the priests at the temple.<ref name="The Hindu Heaven on Earth" /><ref name="Heaven on Earth">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/heaven-in-a-book/article1429939.ece | title=Heaven on Earth | publisher=The Hindu | date=2013 | accessdate=23 August 2014}}</ref> The book is regarded as the first such attempt on the Guruvayur Temple. It consists of 17 chapters and 215 images and covers the history of the 5000-year-old idol, made out of black [[bismuth]], of the temple, and the rituals and [[poojas]], in detail.<ref name="Heaven on Earth" />
''Heaven on Earth: The Universe of Kerala’s Guruvayur Temple'' is a research study on the [[Guruvayur Temple]] and the life, traditions, beliefs, myths and rituals associated with the place. It also covers the elephants fostered by the temple, especially [[Guruvayur Keshavan]], widely regarded as the most famous of them all. The book follows an ''account with photographs'' style and has represented the information gathered from various sources, including the priests at the temple.<ref name="The Hindu Heaven on Earth" /><ref name="Heaven on Earth">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/heaven-in-a-book/article1429939.ece | title=Heaven on Earth | work=The Hindu | date=2013 | access-date=23 August 2014}}</ref> The book is regarded as the first such attempt on the Guruvayur Temple. It consists of 17 chapters and 215 images and covers the history of the 5000-year-old idol, made out of black [[bismuth]], of the temple, and the rituals and [[poojas]], in detail.<ref name="Heaven on Earth" />
* {{cite book | url= | title=Heaven on Earth: The Universe of Kerala's Guruvayur Temple | publisher=Niyogi Books | author=Pepita Seth | date=16 February 2013 | location=Kerala | isbn=9789381523278}}
* {{cite book |title=Heaven on Earth: The Universe of Kerala's Guruvayur Temple |publisher=Niyogi Books |author=Pepita Seth |date=16 February 2013 |location=Kerala |isbn=9789381523278}}


''The Divine Frenzy – Hindu Myths and Rituals of Kerala'' is an account of the spiritual and practical relationship of the people of Kerala with the deities. It attempts to depict, with text and images, the various rituals associated with Hinduism in Kerala.<ref name="The Divine Frenzy">{{cite web | url=http://www.loot.co.za/product/pepita-seth-the-divine-frenzy/gcch-445-g230 | title=The Divine Frenzy | publisher=Westzone | date=2001 | accessdate=23 August 2014}}</ref>
''The Divine Frenzy – Hindu Myths and Rituals of Kerala'' is an account of the spiritual and practical relationship of the people of Kerala with the deities. It attempts to depict, with text and images, the various rituals associated with Hinduism in Kerala.<ref name="The Divine Frenzy">{{cite web | url=http://www.loot.co.za/product/pepita-seth-the-divine-frenzy/gcch-445-g230 | title=The Divine Frenzy | publisher=Westzone | date=2001 | access-date=23 August 2014}}</ref>
* {{cite book | url= | title=The Divine Frenzy – Hindu Myths and Rituals of Kerala | publisher=Westzone Publishing | author=Pepita Seth | year=March 2001 | location=United Kingdom | pages=208 | isbn=978-1-903391-14-3}}
* {{cite book | title=The Divine Frenzy – Hindu Myths and Rituals of Kerala | publisher=Westzone Publishing | author=Pepita Seth | date=March 2001 | location=United Kingdom | pages=208 | isbn=978-1-903391-14-3}}


Pepita Seth has written extensively about Kerala, its rituals and its elephants.<ref name="Lila Interactions" /><ref name="The Penguin Book of New Writing from India, Volume 2" /><ref name="Marunadan Malayalee" /> She is working on a book on [[Theyyam]], a ritualistic dance form of Kerala.<ref name="Heaven on Earth" />
Pepita Seth has written extensively about Kerala, its rituals and its elephants.<ref name="Lila Interactions" /><ref name="The Penguin Book of New Writing from India, Volume 2" /><ref name="Marunadan Malayalee" /> She is working on a book on [[Theyyam]], a ritualistic dance form of Kerala.<ref name="Heaven on Earth" />
* {{cite web | url=http://www.lilainteractions.in/2014-3-8-pepita-seth-eddin-khoo-plurality-co-writing-wider-history/ | title=One Mirroring the Other | publisher=Lila Interactions | work=Web article | date=3 March 2014 | accessdate=22 August 2014 | author=Pepita Seth}}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.lilainteractions.in/2014-3-8-pepita-seth-eddin-khoo-plurality-co-writing-wider-history/ | title=One Mirroring the Other | publisher=Lila Interactions | work=Web article | date=3 March 2014 | access-date=22 August 2014 | author=Pepita Seth}}


Pepita Seth has written a novel The Edge of Another World (2015) Published by The Speaking Tiger in English and soon to be translated to Malayalam and published by Poorna Publications.
Pepita Seth has written a novel The Edge of Another World (2015) Published by The Speaking Tiger in English and soon to be translated to Malayalam and published by Poorna Publications.
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==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/article125028.ece Honouring Pepitha Seth – News report]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140826120329/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/article125028.ece Honouring Pepitha Seth – News report]
* [http://video.webindia123.com/interviews/photographers/pepitaseth/new Interview with Pepitha Seth]
* [http://video.webindia123.com/interviews/photographers/pepitaseth/new Interview with Pepitha Seth]
* [http://www.narthaki.com/info/intervw/intrvw74.html Reference on Narthaki.com]
* [http://www.narthaki.com/info/intervw/intrvw74.html Reference on Narthaki.com]
{{authority control}}
{{authority control}}


{{Template:Padma Shri Award Recipients in Literature & Education}}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Literature & Education}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Seth, Pepita}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seth, Pepita}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education]]
[[Category:English women photographers]]
[[Category:English women photographers]]
[[Category:20th-century British women]]
[[Category:20th-century British women]]
[[Category:20th-century British photographers]]
[[Category:20th-century British photographers]]
[[Category:20th-century British writers]]
[[Category:20th-century British writers]]
[[Category:Photographers from Suffolk‎]]
[[Category:Photographers from Suffolk]]
[[Category:20th-century British women photographers]]
[[Category:20th-century English women]]
[[Category:20th-century English people]]

Latest revision as of 20:55, 21 May 2024

Pepita Seth
Born
Suffolk, England
Occupation(s)Writer, photographer
SpouseRoshan Seth (div. 2004)
AwardsPadma Shri

Pepita Seth is a British-born writer and photographer, known for her accounts of the temple arts and rituals of Kerala and her photographs of the widely celebrated captive elephant, Guruvayur Keshavan. The Government of India honoured her, in 2012, with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for her services to the field of art and culture.[1][2]

Biography

[edit]

"Oh, he was not an animal. I still remember the look he gave me as I positioned my camera… it was divine, as though he sensed that it was the beginning of my bond with the temple." says Pepitha Seth on Guruvayur Keshavan[3]

Guruvayoor Kesavan's Statue at Guruvayur.
Pepita Seth taking photograph

Pepita Seth was born in Suffolk, East of England, in a family of farmers. Pepita's maternal great grandfather was a soldier who served in the army in the British India. As was the custom during those days, Pepita, being a girl, did not have any formal education.[3] She, choosing a career in films, studied film editing and got opportunities to work under film directors like Ted Kotcheff and Stanley Donen. However, Pepita's life took a turn when she chanced upon the diary of her grandfather and decided to trace his trails with the British Army and document the movements and landed in Kolkata, in 1970.[3][4][5][6]

The journey from Kolkata ended in Guruvayur where she became fascinated by the temple arts and rituals of Kerala. For the next nine years, she visited Kerala several times and, in 1979, she found a home and settled in Guruvayur.[6][7] Though, at first, she was denied entry to the Guruvayur Temple, her persistence made the Guruvayur Devaswom Board to relent and she remains the only foreigner to be granted entry to the Temple.[4][8]

Pepita was married to the Indian born British actor Roshan Seth but was estranged from her husband in the late 80s. The couple formally divorced in 2004.[9]

Pepita Seth has extensively covered the rituals and temples of Kerala through her photographs. Her photographs of the elephant, Guruvayur Keshavan have been published in many magazines and journals including the New York Times and the Guardian.[6] It is generally considered that Pepita's photographs of the rituals and temple arts of Kerala have helped promote the image of Kerala as a tourist destination.[6]

Pepita Seth lives in Guruvayur.[8]

Books and articles

[edit]

Pepita's most recent boon In God's Mirror: The Theyyams of Malabar, documents the extraordinary 2,000 year-old ritual of worship, Theyyam, found only in India's south- western state of Kerala.

  • Pepita Seth (2023). In God's Mirror: The Theyyams of Malabar. London: Scala. ISBN 9781785514111.

Pepita Seth has authored two books on Kerala, with accounts and photographs.

Heaven on Earth: The Universe of Kerala’s Guruvayur Temple is a research study on the Guruvayur Temple and the life, traditions, beliefs, myths and rituals associated with the place. It also covers the elephants fostered by the temple, especially Guruvayur Keshavan, widely regarded as the most famous of them all. The book follows an account with photographs style and has represented the information gathered from various sources, including the priests at the temple.[7][8] The book is regarded as the first such attempt on the Guruvayur Temple. It consists of 17 chapters and 215 images and covers the history of the 5000-year-old idol, made out of black bismuth, of the temple, and the rituals and poojas, in detail.[8]

  • Pepita Seth (16 February 2013). Heaven on Earth: The Universe of Kerala's Guruvayur Temple. Kerala: Niyogi Books. ISBN 9789381523278.

The Divine Frenzy – Hindu Myths and Rituals of Kerala is an account of the spiritual and practical relationship of the people of Kerala with the deities. It attempts to depict, with text and images, the various rituals associated with Hinduism in Kerala.[10]

  • Pepita Seth (March 2001). The Divine Frenzy – Hindu Myths and Rituals of Kerala. United Kingdom: Westzone Publishing. p. 208. ISBN 978-1-903391-14-3.

Pepita Seth has written extensively about Kerala, its rituals and its elephants.[4][5][6] She is working on a book on Theyyam, a ritualistic dance form of Kerala.[8]

Pepita Seth has written a novel The Edge of Another World (2015) Published by The Speaking Tiger in English and soon to be translated to Malayalam and published by Poorna Publications.

Awards and recognitions

[edit]

In recognition of her services to the fields of art and culture, the Government of India, in 2012, bestowed the civilian award of Padma Shri on her.[1][2]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Padma". Government of India. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b "President confers Padma Awards". The India Awaaz.com. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Geetha Venkitaraman (10 February 2012). "Crowning glory". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  4. ^ a b c "Lila Interactions Article". Lila Interactions. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b Penguin Books (2006). The Penguin Book of New Writing from India, Volume 2. Delhi: Penguin India. pp. 134 of 308. ISBN 9780144001071.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Marunadan Malayalee". Marunadan Malayalee.com. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  7. ^ a b "From the Blurb". The Hindu. 7 December 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Heaven on Earth". The Hindu. 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Roshan Seth". Veethi.com. 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  10. ^ "The Divine Frenzy". Westzone. 2001. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
[edit]