Pioneering photographer M.M.Panicker ( 1918 - 1975 ) hailed from Kozhikode and he moved over to Coimbatore in the year 1938. Panicker began in Raja Street by offering excellent ' oil on canvas ' paintings. This great artist was also an excellent photographer. The first friends in Coimbatore were P.V.Rama Warrier ( Founder of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy ) and K.S.M.Guruswamy Nadar of BBH ( Guru Hotel ). P.V.Rama Warrier and M.M.Panicker began their sojourn at around the same time and went on to excel in the city of their destiny. Madhava Panicker began to get orders for his oil paintings and photography began to supplement his work in a small way. The good work of Panicker caught the attention of the Father of Modern Coimbatore , Diwan Bahadur C.S.Rathinasabapathy Mudaliar and he gave the budding entrepreneur a small place near the Rathina Vinayagar Temple on D.B.Road in R.S.Puram. The studio was named after Panicker and it got established over time. The studio moved over to another building on D.B Road for it was growing and therefore in need of a larger place. The property had belonged to ' Tirupur House ' and Panicker began to reside behind his office thereafter.
Pioneering photographer M.M.Panicker ( 1918 - 1975 ) hailed from Kozhikode and he moved over to Coimbatore in the year 1938. Panicker began in Raja Street by offering excellent ' oil on canvas ' paintings. This great artist was also an excellent photographer. The first friends in Coimbatore were P.V.Rama Warrier ( Founder of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy ) and K.S.M.Guruswamy Nadar of BBH ( Guru Hotel ). P.V.Rama Warrier and M.M.Panicker began their sojourn at around the same time and went on to excel in the city of their destiny. Madhava Panicker began to get orders for his oil paintings and photography began to supplement his work in a small way. The good work of Panicker caught the attention of the Father of Modern Coimbatore, Diwan Bahadur C.S.Rathinasabapathy Mudaliar and he gave the budding entrepreneur a small place near the Rathina Vinayagar Temple on D.B.Road in R.S.Puram. The studio was named after Panicker and it got established over time. The studio moved over to another building on D.B Road for it was growing and therefore in need of a larger place. The property had belonged to ' Tirupur House ' and Panicker began to reside behind his office thereafter.
The good work and creativity of Panicker brought in the ' turning point ' in his life. Once , an Englishman from Eastman Kodak visited Coimbatore and Panicker decided to meet him and get a dealership. Thanks to the help from the well connected industrialist G.N.Sam and Wootten of the Stanes, the English gentleman came to Panicker's studio. On visiting the studio he was impressed with the display of Black & White portraits done by Panicker. He was equally impressed with the oil paintings which were part of the display. Panicker was assured of an agency provided he moved to a larger place , particularly on a location like the Mount Road in Chennai.
" We must thank providence for making us move over to a huge showroom on Avinashi Road. A huge textile showroom had just vacated and my father took over the space. The Kodak dealership was accorded to him. The Englishman had told my father to name his business as ' The India Arts Bureau ' and my father followed his advice. The showroom was inaugurated by G.Ramaswamy Naidu of the PSG family in the presence of Dr.P.V.Rama Warrier of the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy and a few other dignitaries from the city. In accordance to the old Tamil saying, growth was accompanied by recognition. My father's name featured in the 1954 Coimbatore District Guide & Directory. He was listed among the dignitaries of the region. He was appointed as the official photographer for the Coimbatore Police Department and was provided the with a phone ( number 445 ) immediately. The R.S.Puram Post Office, G.Krishnan and G.N.Sam were the only others to have a telephone. This assignment made him really busy. Eventually my father became a really popular man and his Black & White portraits , oil paintings began to adorn the houses and offices of the elite of the region. They can still be seen in a number of bungalows and Government offices even today. Later on he took to agriculture and he planted rubber trees on the 80 acre plantation purchased by him at Mannarghat. My mother Narayani Panicker was the successful lady who had been behind the success of her husband , " stated Jayakumar, the second son of Panicker from the IAB headquarters on Cross Cut Road.
Panicker had a good rapport with the PSG family and had known the four founders quite well. One of the Founders , P.S.G.Ganga Naidu had been a great motivator. G.Ramaswamy, the son of P.S.G.Ganga Naidu gifted Panicker a Rolleiflex camera which had been brought by him during a visit to Germany. This camera became Panicker's favourite equipment and it continues to be preserved as a ' souvenir ' by the family. The India Arts Bureau was patronized by several corporates who included the Lakshmi Mills, Radhakrishna Mills and important personalities like P.A.Raju Chettiar and Chandrakanthi Govindarajulu. The institution enjoyed the patronage of all the bureaucrats and institutions in Coimbatore. The two enterprising sons of Panicker - Ashok Kumar and Jayakumar joined the business eventually.
Jayakumar was nostalgic while talking about his brother, " My brother Ashok was a genius in photography and it would be fitting to say that it was he who brought the concept of ' portrait photography ' to Coimbatore. He excelled in industrial photography too. Ashok started taking portraits in places like Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkatta and Hyderabad. Some of the wonderful portraits made by him continue to adorn the Birla family residence at Kolkatta even today. His other famous master piece is that of the great thespian Sivaji Ganesan. "
Panicker had been a handsome six footer and he used to drive his huge Buick car while visiting his estate. His wife Narayani and the kids - Ashok Kumar, Jaya Kumar, Shakuntala , Radhika used to accompany him. Panicker had invested in a property on Cross Cut Road in the year 1953 and this came in handy later on. The fly over on Avinashi Road forced Panicker to eventually shift his business to Cross Cut Road in the year 1974. This became his home and studio. The edifice built by Panicker was taken over by his sons. The Bengaluru advertising agency which did the work for Ashok Kumar and Jayakumar suggested that ' The India Arts Bureau ' begin to promote itself as ' IAB '. Since 1978, the two brothers began to promote the business as ' IAB '. The sales counter started flourishing after the arrival of Kodak. Many other products from Agfa, Fuji, Ilford got added.
The company sold its products to professionals and amateurs as well. Panicker was a devotee of Lord Guruvayurappan and he used to visit the shrine of the Lord on the first of every Malayalam month and this tradition is being continued by his son Jayakumar even today.
IAB had been the only studio in Coimbatore to have witnessed a number of technological changes. An ebullient Jayakumar added further, " My father, the Late Panicker started of with ' sheet film ' photography. In order to take one photo, he used to carry a huge wooden camera along with a tripod and load it with the film in a slide. Then came the introduction of Black & White roll films in 120 and 620 formats.
This was ably supported by professional cameras such as Rolleiflex, Rolliecord, Yashica and many other amateur cameras. In the early 1980s colour photography was introduced in the 35 mm format and there were plenty of cameras for amateurs. We used to sell cameras too. Quick Service System ( QSS ) was introduced by the Japanese companies to produce colour prints from 35 mm films. This became popular world over and the first colour lab in Coimbatore was launched by IAB at the hands of G.Varadaraj M.P ( Managing Trustee of the P.S.G Institutions ). Photography took a huge leap when it witnessed the introduction of digital technology in 1994. It was first seen at the trade fair ' Photokina ' held in Germany. I brought the idea to Coimbatore by setting up a digital studio for IAB in the year 1998. Thus IAB introduced the first digital passport studio and it was inaugurated by the Actor Dr. Sivaji Ganesan in the presence of the District Collector and a number of dignitaries.
We did heavy duty advertising at the time of the launch and the entire Cross Cut Road was blocked on that occasion. The digital revolution helped us to offer 16 copies at Rs.50 . Earlier it had been Rs.50 for 3 copies."
Eminent personalities like Kamal Hassan, Dr.D.Jayawarthanavelu of LMW and D.R.Karthikeyan of CBI had taken part in the inaugurations of the facilities and branches of IAB over the decades. Good friendships last a life time and family friendships last generations. The genuine friendship between the families of P.V.Rama Warrier and M.M.Panicker continues to this day. M.Jayakumar , the Managing Director of IAB continues to enjoy a wonderful brotherly relationship with Padmashri awardee P.R.Krishnakumar Warrier of the pioneering Arya Vaidya Pharmacy.
IAB has thus been a witness to a number of changes and continues to thrive through its several branches. Jayakumar and Gita live at Cross Cut Road and the sons - Ajaykumar and Vijaykumar are part of the enterprise. Madhavan, the son of Ashok Kumar looks after his business from R.S.Puram and Vadavalli.
Thus the edifice created by the Late Panicker is being nurtured by his descendants. One more historic picture of Dr. Sivaji Ganesan praying in the River Ganga taken by Jayakumar at Varanasi when he had visited the holy city as the guest of His Highness of Benares continues to adorn the pooja rooms of a number of fans and the family of the great star.
Jayakumar stated, " The strength of IAB is basically because of the strong foundation laid by my father Late Panicker, the sacrifices made by my mother Narayani , the contribution of my brother Ashok Kumar and first and foremost, the blessings of Lord Guruvayurappan. " M.Jayakumar had been the President of Round Table India ( 1993 ) and is now a member of the Rotary Club of Coimbatore Metropolis.
Pioneering Panicker was yet another Coimbatorean who believed in growth through excellence.
