Meet Ramathillai Chockalingam

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ramathillai Chockalingam. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ramathillai, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is a huge part of who I am. When I look back at my life, almost everything I’m proud of exists because I chose to pull through rather than give up. Whether it was learning to live after my dad’s death, moving to new cities and countries, choosing to follow my passion, starting from scratch, or finding friends in places where I didn’t know a single person. Each of these moments taught me something about myself. It showed me that I can depend on myself, because I’ve seen myself do hard things and come out stronger.

And I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t any part of me that wanted to give up. There were moments where I thought, maybe this is all I can be. But what scared me more was the feeling of being stuck. So I kept proving myself that I can be more. And the more I pushed forward, the more I realized how much I love to live. Not just exist, but truly live.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Hi, I’m Ramathillai, a photographer currently based in New York. To me, photography is more than a profession, it’s the way I express myself. I still remember the day in my undergrad when we had to choose between clubs. My options were drama, music, and production. I confidently put my name down for both music and production, and that day I realized two things – One, I should remain the amazing bathroom singer that I am. Two, I had fallen in love with the studio, the equipment, the lights and the possibility of creating.

Everyone has their own way of expressing themselves. For me, it has always been through words and visual images. You know how, when you truly love something, you forget time exists and all-nighters don’t feel draining. That’s who I am when I’m doing my craft.

Today, I’m pursuing photography fully and building my freelance practice from the ground up. It feels like the most natural step that aligns with who I am.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Find ways to put yourself out of your comfort zone, that’s where learning happens. You might think you are not ready for something but the opportunity presents itself because deep down you are ready for it

Don’t settle for anything less than what you truly want. Life is too short to settle and far too big to stay stagnant.

Last is to ask questions, it is very important you do. You might not get your answers the next second but you will when you have to.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

Every time I get overwhelmed, which honestly is most times, I make a to-do list. I’m big on that. It helps me organize my thoughts and plan things out clearly.

Here’s what you have to realize, you often feel overwhelmed because of the things you want to achieve. It’s simply a byproduct of having goals as big as yours. All you have to do is channel that energy into something that actually helps you reach them.

There’s also something else I do when everything starts to feel too heavy, I take a break and go on a trip. Going solo helps a lot. It doesn’t have to be a full-fledged vacation. Sometimes it’s just a trek or a quick two-day trip to a nearby state. Being alone in nature helps me think, breathe, and realign.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Personal Photo – Lana Askar (Photographer)

Additional Photos:
1. Already with watermark

2. Inframe magazine:
Photographer – Ramathillai Chockalingam
Assistants – Pedro Fazzio and Wrenn Wasmuth
Model – Joaquín Muñoz

3. Photographer – Ramathillai Chockalingam
Model – Isabel Criado

4th and 5th BTS picture – Pedro Fazzio (Photographer)
6th BTS picture – Screenshot from a video by Kate Romanova

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