Ahmedabad is forever linked with one name when it comes to photography—Pranlal Patel. For 80 years, Patel dedicated his life to capturing the people and essence of Amdavad.
Living to the remarkable age of 104, Patel was one of the pioneering photographers in Gujarat, chronicling the nation’s journey through the pre-independence, post-independence, and post-liberalisation eras. His portfolio is vast and diverse, featuring iconic leaders, political movements, and a rapidly changing country.
However, what truly stands out is his revolutionary portrayal of women. Patel captured women in ways that had never been seen before, breaking away from traditional confines and presenting them as active, dynamic participants in public life. His work redefined how women were viewed through the lens of Indian photography.
Becoming one of the 1st street photographers of India!
Pranlal Patel was born in Keshiya, Gujarat, and moved to Ahmedabad with his grandmother after losing his mother. He worked various odd jobs and became an elementary school teacher in the 1930s.
Initially aspiring to be a musician, Patel once remarked, “I have no musical talent. So, I picked up this new thing they were calling a camera.” At the time, there were only eight other photographers in Ahmedabad, most of whom operated from studios. Lacking the means to set up a studio of his own, Patel chose a different path, one that would define his legacy—outdoor and street photography, a rare practice in those days.
Capturing life, especially women, as it was!
Patel’s most iconic images capture people reacting to life outside their homes, particularly common women going about their daily tasks in the streets of Ahmedabad. These photographs depicted women engaged in everyday activities, a rare and revolutionary portrayal in pre-World War II India.
Lisa Trivedi, a history professor who curated an exhibition of Patel’s work, noted, “At the time, most photography was indoor studio work, but Pranlal showed women in public spaces, contributing to society and engaged in everyday activities. It was a revolutionary new way to show women.”
Claire Robison, a scholar based in Mumbai, highlighted Patel’s ability to photograph ordinary women at a time when many refused to be photographed. “He made photography accessible,” said Robison. “He broke the dichotomy of either showing stylised studio women or women as powerless colonial subjects. He developed a whole new space—the image of women as they are.”
Patel’s work depicted women not as victims but as individuals with strength and agency, paving the way for a new narrative in Indian photography.
Knock Knock!
Today, we remember Pranlal Patel not just for his remarkable eight-decade career but for his visionary approach that forever changed how women were seen in the public sphere. His legacy continues to inspire photographers to capture the world around them with the same passion and purpose that defined his life’s work.
