India's cop-turned-artist whose Mum is his muse

Cop Shiva, aka B S Shivaraju, grew up in rural Karnataka, India, without a single photograph of his childhood. His farming family couldn't afford the local photographic studio's fees, but he was fascinated by photography, and his imagination inspired by the mythological plays performed in the village after the harvests were brought in. The young Shivaraju was captivated by the imagery, and began to create his own fantastical theatrical events to perform with his mother after she returned from working in the fields. His education finished young, and he took a job as a policeman to support the family, but never lost his love of transformation and performance. In his spare time he visited galleries and became involved in the local art scene, hosting international artists, and using a loaned camera to record their work. It began the journey that led him to start to recreate his childhood memories as stylised tableaux, posing alongside his mother, Gowramma. She remains his muse and inspiration. His most recent exhibition, No Longer a Memory, was shown in Gallery Sumakha in Bangaluru this summer.

One night in 2013 John Aldridge and his friend and crewmate Anthony Sosinski set off from Montauk coast, New York, to go lobster fishing. But during the early hours John fell overboard into the Atlantic Ocean while the crew was asleep, and it was hours before they realised he was missing. They tell Outlook about the frantic search and rescue and the incredible story of survival, saved by his surprisingly buoyant boots. This interview was first broadcast in 2017.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen

Producer: Laura Thomas and Rebecca Moore

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Photo: Indian photographer Cop Shiva wears a yellow three-piece suit, standing beside his white-haired mother who also wears a man's suit in bright red. They pose against a red wall and floor uniformly patterned with white hearts creating an intense backdrop. Mother and son are smiling and holding suitcases in their hands, and old-fashioned televisions balanced on their heads. Credit: Cop Shiva