Join us for the launch of Prashant Panjiar's book "That Which Is Unseen", followed by a conversation between Ratna Rao Shekar (Writer , Editor and Art Critic) and Prashant Panjiar (Author & Photojournalist)​

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When - 18th November, Thursday 6 PM

Where - State Art Gallery, Hyderabad

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About the book 
Spanning 3 decades, 'That Which is Unseen’, is a compilation of back stories from Prashant Panjiar’s years as a photojournalist, told through his images and his words. 

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Starting with his first self-financed work on the dacoits of the Chambal valley, the book takes us through his journey working as a photojournalist with Patriot newspaper, India Today, Outlook, several foreign publications such as Time Magazine and transitioning to his documentary work for international non-profits. Covering wide-ranging subjects such as Dacoits of the Chambal region; Terrorism in Punjab; 1984 anti-Sikh riots and its repercussions; Refugees; Pakistan; Afghanistan; Communal conflicts in India; Liberalisation; & the lives of the poor and marginalised; That Which Is Unseen holds a mirror to the major issues that have shaped India’s recent history. 

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About Prashant Panjiar

Prashant Panjiar, a self-taught photographer, worked full-time as a photojournalist and editor in mainstream media from 1984 to 2001. Since then he has been working independently as a photographer specializing in reportage, editorial and documentary photography, a photo editor and curator. He is the co-founder and managing trustee of Nazar Foundation that promotes lens-based art. His latest initiative is the multi-disciplinary Goa Open Arts Festival and the Goa Open Arts Catalyst Grant that he co-founded and launched in 2020. 

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Panjiar led the curatorial teams of all three editions of the Delhi Photo Festival of which he was the co-founder and co-Creative Director; curated the first edition of Sensorium a festival of Arts, Literature & Ideas for Sunaparanta, Goa Centre for the Arts; a permanent collection of contemporary photography for the new corporate building of Star TV India in Mumbai;  exhibitions  for the first two editions of the Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa; and was project curator for Kanu’s Gandhi, the third title in the Nazar Photography Monographs series, and of the resulting exhibition. 

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Panjiar has served on the jury of the World Press Photo Awards, the China International Press Photo Competition and POY (Pictures of the Year International).

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Being one of India’s leading photo-practitioners, Panjiar is actively involved in mentoring younger photographers.

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Panjiar’s work can be viewed at www.prashantpanjiar.com

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About Ratna Rao Shekar

Ratna Rao Shekar has been a journalist for almost 30 years and for at least half the years, an editor of not one magazine but several. In her long career, she has met and interviewed many icons such as Mother Theresa, The Nobel Prize chairman, Yoga gurus among others.

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Her strengths are launching new magazines. She founded Housecalls for Dr Reddy Labs in Hyderabad, and it  was the only magazine of its kind not just in India but the world. This was the only magazine brought out for physicians, and far from being medical it had a mix of profiles of doctors doing good work in the country along with  issues on culture and environment. Among some of her scoops  for the magazine were an exclusive interview with Prof John Nash (who was the inspiration for the movie, The Beautiful Mind) who she met at the Univ of Pennsylvania. She wrote about Pattabhi Jois, BKS Iyengar and TV Desikachar, the trinity of yoga teachers who taught all that we know of yoga and meditation today. Among her other scoops was meeting the chair of the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr Mjos who she met in Norway, and who admitted to her it was a error on the part of the Nobel Committee to not give Gandhi the Peace Prize!

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She is the founder editor of the popular city magazine, Wow !Hyderabad, a magazine that continues to  report the city in both fun and serious ways, making it truly reflective of an ancient city growing young! 

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Ratna is the author of a coffee table book, The Journey Without a Map,  that came out of her travels that she did for Housecalls. She also  has a book of short stories, The Purple Lotus and other stories published in 2012. She is on the verge of publishing a novel, based on the city we all love: Hyderabad. Most recently, she did a book on artist Laxma Goud, Laxma in Black and White  that is yet to be released.

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She is involved with the cultural and arts scene in Hyderabad, writing on art trends.

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