Smile Please..Click! Pro-Photographer Ravi Hongal of Belagavi Built His Home in Shape of a Camera
Belagavi: As a journo, I do reporting and simultaneously click photos too- but what I admire about thai professional photographer in Belagavi, for his unique idea in building his ‘House of Dreams’ in the shape of a Camera- and not only that he has named his three sons as- Canon, Nikon and Epson. Funny, but awesome, and his unique house has taken social media by storm. Meet, Ravi Hongal, a professional photographer, whose three-storey building has been the talk-of-the-town in Belagavi, but also now getting attention from people around the country on Internet.
No doubt that a man who loved photography, and who also had a dream to live in a house that resembled a camera, has finally turned his dream into a grand reality, and it was just a matter of time before the world sat up and took notice. As per sources, Ravi Hongal, 49, has been a photographer for the last 33 years. While Hongal’s love for photography is well known in the region, his recently-completed house has seen people from nearby areas arriving to take photographs and selfies with it.
Speaking to media, Hongal had said that building the house wasn’t an easy task. “I love photography and my camera and everything is related to it. Over the years a lot has changed in the area, but my love for it remains the same. It was my long-cherished dream to build a house that would look like a camera but I didn’t know how to build it — both in terms of executing the concept and monetarily. After saving for years, I came across engineers and architects who helped me realise his dream” had said Ravi..
Seated: Ravi Hongal with his wife Kripa Rani and their three sons Nikon, Epson and Canon (L-R)
Hongal credits Key Concepts Interiors, which did the construction and interior designing of the project that resulted in a large number of photography-related features inside and outside the house. There are camera brand names — Canon, Nikon and Epson — etched on the wall of the house, which interestingly, are also the names of Hongal’s sons. A railing of one of the balconies is shaped like a reel. A big flash mounted on top of a lens and hood is also seen outside. There are also features like a memory card and a roll of film on the walls, and a camera shutter on the main gate.
“There were challenges indeed, but they were open to my ideas and suggestions. I told them how I wanted a lens, lens-hood and camera films in my designs, and while few were easier to achieve, others needed more work. I tried to help them with much input to get it just the way, how I had imagined in my head. After two long years of many brainstorming sessions, finally it became a reality.” added Ravi.
Although the house was completed about two months ago, the pictures of the house — named ‘Click’ — had everyone talking online earlier this week when it was shared on Twitter. Each floor of the three-storey building is dedicated to his sons: the eldest Canon who is 20-years-old, Nikon who is 18, and Epson who is 13.
When journos had asked Ravi how his children felt about their unique names, Hongal said: “When I decided to name them after camera brands, they didn’t understand much but my wife was very supportive. They often used to ask me about their names as they got older, and even if they did mind earlier, now they’re quite happy. I explained that I named them after things I love the most and they understood it, and now are proud.” Asked if he ever imagined that the photos of his house would become internet sensations, he said he did not build the house for publicity. “I didn’t anticipate it at all. It was my dream and I am very happy, that my passion is being recognised and people are enjoying it. I feel so happy and proud to see people stopping by to take photos and selfies,” adds Hongal.
As a journo and a photographer, I envy Ravi’s unique masterpiece, but jealous too, that I couldn’t build my dream house in the shape of a camera. How about all you photographers in town? What would be your Dream House ?
Source: IndianExpress