A Snapshot of the World’s Smallest Life Form Prof. Malushte Unveils
T Biographical Photobook
he grey glitchy looking image you see
here is in fact an ultra small bacterial
cell. The image was created recently using
cryo-electron tomography by scientists
from UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory. It shows the internal
structure of these cells with a dense inner
section and a complex cell wall.
According to scientists, these are
probably as small as life forms can get on
planet earth. The cells have an average
volume of 0.009 cubic microns.
Any smaller and the cells won't be
able to store enough material to sustain
life. To put it in perspective, a single
human hair is about as large as 1,50,
of these bacteria. “These newly describedP
rofessor Shreekant Malushte’s book
titled Asa Mi-Tasa Mi was launched
on March 16 in Mumbai. In this book,
Malushte portrays his stay at his hometown,
his education and his work as a teacher
and professor.
The book also shows his involvement
as an actor in various dramas, and
his contributions to the medium of
photography in India. In attendance
at the function were Padmashri winner
Madhu Mangesh Karnik, Dr Aroon
Titekar, former Editor of Loksatta),
Dr Avinash Supe (Dean, KEM Hospital)
and writer Ashok Bendkhale.ultra-small bacteria are an example of a
subset of the microbial life on earth that
we know almost nothing about,” says UC
Berkeley professor Jill Banfield.Discovering the Irony in India's Cities
Look Who’s shootingPhotographer Mithilesh Choubey recently became
the recipient of the National Award from the Lalit
Kala Academy, as a part of the 56th National
Exhibition of Art 2014-2015. He won for his image
titled Resting in Peace.
He shot the photograph when he was visiting the
Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, a place that is the
embodiment of the Hindu philosophy of Moksha, a way
to gain freedom from the vicious cycle of life and death.
Although he was carrying his camera gear, Mithilesh
did not want to make any images of the burning bodies
that he encountered. Instead, he simply wanted to sit
quietly and absorb the general activities of the area.However, after spending over an hour walking
around, he and his friend arrived at a platform
overlooking the Ganga River. It was here that
he noticed two men sleeping next to two dogs.
"It immediately occurred to me that the two
individuals have come to sleep at a place where
everyone else comes to rest in peace," he says.
Since it was close to midnight, Mithilesh found it
difficult to shoot the image under the extremely low
light conditions. Nevertheless, he managed to capture
this shot, which he later converted to black and white.— Written by Conchita FernandesMithilesh Choubey
enjoys making
pictures at weddings,
street photography
and also documenting
his travels. In 2013,
he had his work
exhibited at the
All India Fine Arts
and Crafts Society.“i believe that
a photograph
should be
composed in
such a way that
it induces a
certain emotion
within the
person, when he
looks at it for
the first time.”Mithilesh ChoubeyImage Source: Berkley LabsWhen asked why he
chose to convert his
image to black and white,
Mithilesh immediately
quoted ted grant—"When
you photograph people
in color, you photograph
their clothes. But when
you photograph people
in black and white, you
photograph their souls!"to give the image a sense of scale the black bar has
been added, which 100 nanometers.snapshotsBetter photography april 201526