“It was always a dream of mine to do an exhibition in North America”

Amul Parmar a renowned photographer who recently held an exhibitionon 12 th
August 2018 in Beaux Arts Brampton gallery that was inaugurated by Mayor of
Brampton, Linda Jeffrey. Amul Parmar says that the sole purpose of visiting
Canada was to put up the display of my exhibition in Toronto. Amul Parmer
acknowledges that during the trip brother-in-law (Bharat Chavda), sister-in law
(Supriya Chavda), niece (Urvashi Chavda) and nephew (Yashraj Chavda) gave
an amazing tour of Canada. “Honestly,I was greatly astonished to see the
amazing weather, the huge roads, the discipline of citizens, and the scenery was
just breathtaking. I got the chance to visit the Niagara Falls, Sauble Beach,
Tobermory, CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, Casa Loma, Royal Ontario Museum,

Ontario Science Center and Toronto Zoo in Canada,” shares Amul Parmar in
an exclusive interview with The Weekly Asian Connections Newspaper.
Excerpts of the interview.
Guru

Q. What was the inspiration to take photography as a hobby? When did it
become your passion?
A. In 1986, I used to study in CN college in Gujarat. At that time, I met
Vinod Parul & Joravarsinh Jadav(now, my father-in-law) and they advised
me to give photography a shot, as there is a huge scope for that in
metropolitan cities like Ahmedabad. I took their advice to heart and began
learning new techniques and bought my very first camera. I fell in love with
the camera, it ignited a new passion within me. That’s how my passion for
photography started in 1987.
Q. What kind of photography are you interested in? What kind of subjects
have you shot? What is your favorite subject to shoot?
A. I’m interested in traditional photography in villages consisting
oftraditional clothing, ornaments, portraits of villagers, and interior design&
architecture of village homes. Furthermore, I’m interested in shooting
wedding ceremonies, carnivals & fares, bullock competitions, camels,
wrestling in the small villages. Although, my most favorite subject to shoot
is wildlife photography& nature photography.
Q. Tell us something about your Exhibition.
A. The exhibition took place on 12 th August 2018 in Beaux Arts Brampton
gallery. The opening ceremony of the exhibition was graced by the mayor
of Brampton, Linda Jeffrey. She admired my photographs so much and
welcomed an Indian artist to the Toronto’s artist community. Moreover, she
even tweeted about it on the Brampton twitter handle! She gave me a lot
of recognition and I truly appreciate her presence at the opening of my
exhibition. I’m very happy with the outcome and it became a very
memorable moment of my life.
Q. How did you come up with the idea of doing an exhibition in Toronto,
Canada?
A. It was always a dream of mine to do an exhibition in North America. On
a site note, the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy sponsors artists to do
exhibitions internationally. I applied for the grant with the academy for the
feature of my exhibition. The academy granted me the sponsorship to do
an exhibition in Toronto and I’m very grateful for such a huge opportunity
to display my work at such a massive level.

Q. How did you begin to get credit for your photography? How did you gain
popularity in the society?
A. In 2004, I got the opportunity to conduct aerial photography of
Bhavnagar using a microlight airplane. It was the most surreal experience
for me.In 2005, I did an aerial photography exhibition in Gujarat. At that
time, I received a lot of recognition for that work nationally. Aerial
photography was a completely new concept at the time, and hence I
received a lot of credit and recognition from the audience. People truly
admired my aerial photography work and it began to gain popularity from
then onwards. I received an overwhelming response for that work, and I’m
truly grateful to receive so much love and appreciation in society. It was
one of the most memorable experiences in my life.
A. How many one-man shows have you done? How many group shows
have you participated in?
Q. I have done 9 one-man show in various places like Mauritius, Bombay,
Ahmedabad, etc. Furthermore, I have done 9 group shows. Finally, I have
done my 10 th one-man show in Toronto, Canada.
Q. Have you received any awards or recognition for your work in the past?
A. I have received 9 awards from associations such as Gujarat tourism,
Saurashtra club Rajkot, Focus club Ahmedabad, and Bhavnagar National.
Q. Where did you find the inspiration for the rock photography?
A. In 2012, I attended a photography workshop in the city of Idar,
Gujarat.Idar is full of hard and bald stones. I got the opportunity to do the
stone photography at the location and the developed pictures came out to
be magnificent. They were one of the best photoshoots I’ve ever done. I
took that simple concept of stones and wanted to display it in a very
creative way. Every stone has its own story to tell. Moreover, As I began
working on the pictures on computer, I began to see various life forms in
the stones, for example, animals, a man with a turban, a sleeping child,
etc. That’s how the idea for exhibition was created. City of Idar became my
inspiration and I got some of the most stunning shots ever.
Q. The hobby of photography is a very expensive one. Does your family
accept this hobby of yours?
A. Of course, they do! It all began with my father’s (Khodidas Parmar)
support. He was a huge artist himself and he was my inspiration. He
supported me a lot and helped me start this hobby of mine. My wife
(Rajshri Parmar) is a folk singer, my son (Dhaval Parmar) is a
cinematographer, and my daughter (Shubhda Parmar) is a photographer
&chef. As you can see, everyone in my family is involved in a creative field
and I receive a lot of support from all of them. It wouldn’t be possible
without them.It’s definitely an expensive hobby, hence why I conduct
commercial work to support it. Fortunately, my photography journey has
reached 31 years today.