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. His more recent books are “Amongst the Believers – The Kumbh Mela at Prayag” (published by Arthshila Trusts, 2024), “Indianisms’ (self-published 2023) and ‘That Which Is Unseen” (published by Navajivan Trust, 2021).
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 Mumba; 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.
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).
Being one of India’s leading photo-practitioners, Panjiar is actively involved in mentoring younger photographers.
Panjiar’s work can be viewed at www.prashantpanjiar.com