I’ve been participating in various contests to reach more people through my work.
Honestly, Instagram wasn’t giving me the reach I expected. I was putting in the work but something wasn’t clicking. Even after years and years of trying, nothing feels like working out.
Then my eyes stopped on one such contest, Nadi Utsav 2026. The theme was Yamuna.
I had been going to Yamuna Ghat for the last 3 to 4 years. I had photographs from there, chose one photograph and submitted it.
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A Phone Call
After a few days, it was almost 7 PM. I was busy photographing at an event when my phone rang. It was the Nadi Utsav team. Loud music was going on around me, I could barely hear a thing.
I told them I’d call back in a minute.
I stepped outside and called back. They wanted my consent to use my photograph for various displays at the event. Without a second thought, I said yes.
The event was approaching, only two weeks left. I stood curious.
After that call, I hadn’t received anything. No follow-up, no email. Was my image even confirmed?
Then one day, an invitation arrived in my inbox. That was a relief.
But the best part was still coming, and I had no idea.
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I was part of a WhatsApp group where the event curator was the admin. He sent a few photos one evening, tagging me, my photograph had been put up at Mandi House Metro Station.
I got goosebumps.
It was evening, office hours were almost over. I quickly made up my mind, no matter what, I was going to Mandi House Metro Station that day to see it myself.
I usually take Barakhamba Metro. That day I walked to Mandi House instead.
I entered the station with a smile, looked around, took reference from the WhatsApp image, and found it.
I can’t fully describe what that felt like.
For years I had been trying to present my work to a broader audience. There were moments of frustration, of not knowing where I was going wrong. Seeing my photograph on that wall was probably the best moment of my entire career till now.
I clicked photos and made videos from every angle. I posted a video on Instagram and received so much love and support, the kind I had been missing for a while.
The Day of the Exhibition
It was a Thursday. I dressed in formals, I love being in formals, and went to office first.
In the second half, I had already planned my leave. IGNCA is in Janpath, close to my office. I took a good walk and reached there in about 20 minutes.
It was 4:30 PM, the curation was just beginning. I walked through everybody’s images slowly.
The exhibition was led by photographer Idris Sir, whom I know personally. I had gone with him to photograph Huranga Holi just before COVID. Seeing him there felt familiar and warm.
I met some familiar faces and a few new ones. Exchanged Instagram handles and numbers.
I got myself clicked standing in front of my photograph.
All the photos exhibited were special, you could feel how much each one meant to the person behind it.
It was a cheerful evening. When I reached home, I sat with Dada and Dadi and told them everything. Bua was already ready to visit the exhibition on the last day.
The Misfortune
It was Friday morning, the second day of the exhibition. I had to leave for Uttarakhand for a resort shoot for the company I’m a part of.
Everything was going smoothly until a call came from home.
“Dada got a paralysis attack.”
I was shocked!
I managed to transfer all the required documents for hospitalisation over the phone, from the road. For the rest of the journey, I wasn’t enjoying anything. Time felt heavy. I was almost 350 km away from home. Bua was there, taking care of things at the hospital.
I felt like turning around the second I heard. I kept going back and forth in my head, should I leave right away or finish the shoot as planned?
After discussing on call at home, I completed the shoot. We left the resort the next day, and I reached Delhi by night.
The following morning I saw Dada in the ICU. I felt like crying.
I held it in.
Discharge Day
The discharge process was hectic and chaotic.
The hospital generated a bill that exceeded the mediclaim limit. They hadn’t informed us when the amount was creeping past the total insured value. We only found out when it had already exceeded 65% over. It was frustrating and disorienting.
We got him discharged. The doctor said his condition would remain the same for some time.
We took him home and started the daily care routine.
Back to IGNCA
In between everything, I got a word that I could visit IGNCA to collect my printed photograph and participation certificate.
I took a day off from office and went.
Luckily, I walked in to find Idris Sir and Navin Sir sitting there, deep in conversation. I quietly sat down and listened. I had gone for 15 to 20 minutes and ended up staying more than an hour. It was one of those conversations you don’t want to leave.
Then I collected my photograph and certificate.
Unfortunately, while removing the prints from the wall, one corner of my canvas had broken off.
Idris Sir looked at it and said — “You don’t want to carry this with you.”
I did anyway. It means something to me.
Getting My Photograph Printed on a Canvas
When I reached home, I thought about what to do with it.
Then it came to me, to get it reprinted on canvas and hang it on my wall.
I looked online, spoke to a few vendors, got confident about the sizing, and ordered an A2 print — 42 cm x 60 cm.
It arrived within a few days.
I even made a reel of it, from unwrapping to hanging it on the wall.
Ending Thoughts
Honestly, seeing my photograph in that exhibition changed something in me. The way I look at my own images shifted.
I recently went back to Yamuna Ghat. This time, before pressing the shutter, I found myself thinking about how this would look on a larger print. What would this convey if someone stood in front of it?
That small shift in thinking, that’s what I needed. For the last few years I’d been getting anxious about where my work was going. A little change in mindset was long overdue.
And this was it.
