Dilip Banerjee
Dilip Banerjee, whose lens often captures the strange combination of anachronisms and technological advancement that India is, started photography as a hobby, which became at once a passion and a profession.. Dilip's first break as a news photographer came in the early eighties when he joined the Aajkaal, a Bengali newspaper published in Kolkata. He was associated with the Ananda Bazar Patrika from 1982 to 1990. After working as executive photographer with the Times of India group between 1991 to1993, he moved to Delhi to head the photo section of the Business Standard. In 1996, Dilip joined the country's best-known magazine India Today as chief photographer, and eventually became their photo editor. It is his ability to read and capture the untold story of contemporary events that has placed Dilip among the front ranking Photo journalists' in the country. He is one of those outstanding lens men who has tracked India's progress with a critical eye that does not miss the warts and scars which accompany the journey ahead. The India, Dilip sees is not the dazzling India politicians talk of but an India half shining and half darkened, driven by a dichotomy between tradition and modernity.
Photography came quite early and naturally to Dilip as he enjoyed capturing candid moments through his lens from an early age. He obtained a diploma in photo-journalism from Chitrabani, Calcutta. Photo-journalism helped him acquire different skill sets like communication, as photographs in publications go beyond just pictures. He has travelled a long way working across media houses, straddling a wee bit into other media platforms like visual documentaries as well. This has enabled him to capture unusual moments, fleeting glimpses and landmark developments. Telling a story to his viewers is his greatest strength as he endeavours capture the basic truths of the characters in his photographs.
Dilip is a trustee with ARCHi, a body of planning and Architecture and lives in Delhi.
