Encounter

Camera with a purpose
The purpose of Prashant Arora’s camera is to build up his photographic
collection into a strikingly unique archives where celebrities autograph directly on their photographs

He waited for nine years to get Ustad Bismillah Khan’s autograph on the Ustad’s own photograph. Filmmaker Buddhadev Dasgupta chided him for walking into his home without prior appointment. But went on to chat with him for more than an hour when he saw his own photographs clicked by this crazy photographer. Lata Mangeshkar and Amitabh Bachchan are the two distinguished names from cinema who have yet to put in their signatures on their photographs taken by Prashant Arora. Yes. Prashant Arora is the name of the only man in India whose camera has the singular purpose of building up his photographic collection into a strikingly unique archives where celebrities have autographed directly on their photographs, every single photograph having been taken by the photographer-autograph collector Prashant Arora. He now has in his personal collection - which he staunchly refuses to sell or lend - exactly 999 autographed photographs of celebrities Indian and international from every segment of culture - literature, music, dance, theatre and, of course, cinema.

From Majrooh Sultanpuri to Mrinal Sen to Madhuri Dixit, Arora has captured them all for posterity - first through the probing lens of his camera and then, with their distinguished signature on the photograph done with his silver pen. Arora will take his 1000 photograph with the autograph during his forthcoming exhibition organised by ‘Amuzing’ a cultural organisation of Kolkatta, in the last week of February at the Calcutta Information Centre’s exhibition hall.

"It perhaps is rooted in my love for stamps of which I have been an avid collector all my life. The element of things precious because they are rare appealed to me then. Then came theatre. I acted and participated in Hindi plays right from my school days. I had a friend who was a photographer by profession. I asked him to buy me a camera because I wished to take up photography as a hobby. He bought me a camera and I requested Anamika Kala Sangam, a renowned theatre group in Kolkata, to permit me to cover their performances in the city without any fee. They willingly agreed since I was a member of the group. Then, I do not know how or why, but the idea of getting a celebrity’s autograph directly on a photograph I had taken began to take shape. Over 15 years and a long and hard struggle against obstacles that came my way, has resulted in this collection which I refuse to part with for any amount of wealth in the world" says Arora with conviction. It is incredible that he has managed to achieve all this without having moved out of Kolkata even once during all these years to chase any celebrity for a photograph and his autograph on it later on. "All this is the result of six things - money, time, energy, determination, dedication and patience all of which I have acquired in large amounts over the years" he says. Kaifi Azmi, Habib Tanveer, Gulzar, Rani Mukerji and Hrithik Roshan all find place in Prashant Arora’s collection.

He laments not having been able to add Mother Teresa to his collection. "I went to the Missionaries of Charity at four in the morning when Mother was in prayer. As soon as she came out, I took out my camera. She joined her hands in a namaste and said, ‘please, no pictures.’ And, I lost the chance of a lifetime. Another time, I missed out on the chance of taking the autograph of Gangubhai Hangal when she was in Kolkatta at the Dover Lane Music Conference because after five sleepless nights, I was too tired to chase her for her autograph" he reminisces.

Incidentally, Arora has already had four one-man shows of his autograph-on-photograph of celebrities from the world of music earlier. This time round, he will place every single photograph he has taken with the autograph on them on show at the forthcoming exhibition. His photograph of Zakir Hussain is without his tablas "because his signature itself has the insignia of the tabla on it. Viswa Mohan Bhatt draws a guitar around his autograph" informs this encyclopaedic human ‘liberty’, of autographs-on-photographs.

His family business of readymade garments at the posh AC market in South Kolkatta seems to have taken a severe beating at the hands of Arora’s obssession. "It is too late to turn back now. I enjoy what I do and when one is involved in creating a movement for the preservation of one’s cultural history, money has to take a backseat," he confesses without sounding the least apologetic about it. His shows are always crowded. One just knows that his fifth one-man show and his biggest and most ambitious one to date, will hardly be an exception.