Photojournalism nominee

In Kolkata there is a large slum near Park Circus. The slum is around the train tracks and the people who live here live in appalling conditions. However these slums have received little or no publicity. Average monthly income of a family is around US$50 and the average home size is around 75sq. ft. Families range in size from 5-8 persons per household. Recognising the needs of the people here, around 13 years ago I set up a school called Park Junior School to help families educate their children. The school provides free primary education (a nominal monthly charge of US$0.50 is taken), free books, uniforms and medical help. Once children pass out of the school they are sponsored to other schools and then to university.

I am a photographer known for both black and white and color images of people and places. My work has been exhibited in galleries in Paris, London, Hong Kong, and Miami, Florida. I have studied with several different teachers and attended numerous workshops in Kolkata and London. Among the photographers I admire are Henri Cartier Bresson, Gary Winograd and Sabastiao Salgado, among others.

Although I have mostly focused my lens on subjects in India but as I travel extensively, I have expanded my horizons. My photographs, which radiate with a woman’s sensibility, freeze a moment in time that captures emotions and actions. My themes have included motion, emotion, and people’s activities in different settings.

I descend from an important business family and am myself the Managing Director of SIL Investments, a director of New India Retail & Marketing and the Vice President of the Institute of Fine Arts in Modi, Nagar, India. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in commerce from Lady Siri Ram College, New Delhi and a Master’s Degree in business from the University of Pittsburgh, USA.