Couple bathing with dhoti and saree knotted for safety, Makar Sankranti, Hoogly river, Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, 1977 Photograph

Jagdish Agarwal took his first photograph 50 years ago, with an Agfa box camera, gifted by his Uncle Phulchandji Agarwal. His first photography teacher was Prof. P.K.M. Pillai. Later he also did a postal photography course from a New York School of Photography, in the days when there were no fax machines, no computers and no mobile phones. Then for about twenty years, Agarwal looked after the family business of textiles. But he continued taking pictures on holidays. He travelled all over India with BNHS – Bombay Natural History Society, PSI – Photographic Society of India and WWF – World Wildlife Fund. This helped in adding thousands of pictures to his stock photography collection, which he contributed to newspapers, magazines and books in India and abroad. About thirty years ago, Jagdish Agarwal started the first stock photography library in India Dinodia Photo Library www.dinodia.com which has provided images to thousands of clients all over the world. Over the years, Agarwal has had ten one man shows of his photography and won dozens of awards, in India and abroad. This 13th one man show of 50 triptych with a Limited Edition book is from 50 years of his photography. He says “A photographer must constantly travel to new places, so that his eyes discover new lines and forms. Once you are in harmony with your surroundings, pictures appear in front of your eyes.”