Adilabad’s self-taught lensman an inspiration for photography enthusiasts
Deshpande is also known for creating awareness among the public over Ayyappa Deeksha using photographs
Adilabad: A man, who learned photography on his own and set up a small studio in Adilabad, is now the winner of about 165 awards, ranging from State-level to national and even international awards.
Anil Kumar Deshpande’s award kitty includes a gold medal from the prestigious Photographic Society of America for his image of the sacred Ayyappa Thiruvabharanam procession from Sabarimala of Kerala recently.
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The son of a farmer, Deshpande hails from Brahmaniwada in Adilabad town and had managed to pass his SSC only in the second attempt. But that did not deter him from trying to make it big later in life, and after venturing into wedding photography, he has been excelling in the field of photography for over a decade now, making his parents, Venkat Rao and Kamala Bai, proud.
“I ventured into photography after completing intermediate to eke out a living. I established a studio in Adilabad with the help of the then Gramodaya scheme in 1988. I have been practising wedding photography since then. I attended photography workshops and honed my skills. I take part in international webinars to learn more about the art,” Deshpande told ‘Telangana Today.’
The 53-year old photographer has also developed a penchant for candid photographs of various culture and spiritual programmes at the Sabarimala temple. He shot to fame with the PSA award with his picture of the sacred ritual of Thiruvabharanam procession under the category of photojournalism on May 12. He had submitted the work in January.
Deshpande is also known for creating awareness among the public over Ayyappa Deeksha using photographs. He organised photography exhibitions in Bengaluru, Kuratla of Jagtial district and Adilabad for Ayyappa devotees. He said he captures various stages of the Deeksha by trekking for longer distances and by camping in Sabarimala for two months a year.
To his credit, he has won 165 awards so far, including 69 international awards, 81 national and 15 state-level honors so far. He was presented with an award by the Akhila Bharathiya Ayyappa Dharma Prachar Sabha for propagating the Ayyappa movement in 2021.
He has also won honors including from the Federation of Indian Photography, Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique, Image Colleague Society International USA (AICS), Master Agile Photographic Society, Bangladesh (MAPS), from the Serendib Society of Photographers Sri Lanka and the Associate of School of Fototechnik, to mention a few.
