Last week, I shared a post about Surendra Gujar—the ever-present photographer who arrived in Sevagram in 1970 and went on to serve MGIMS for more than two and a half decades.
In 1997, he turned off the flash and walked into the light.
He was more than just a photographer. With a simple camera, steady hands, and an eye for history, Surendra documented the life and times of this institute. He captured events big and small, from convocation ceremonies to political visits, from student gatherings to presidential addresses.
The early years of MGIMS were black and white—quite literally—and Surendra was the man behind most of those timeless frames. His archive includes photographs of Prime Ministers, Presidents, Chief Ministers, and more importantly, countless ordinary moments that became extraordinary in hindsight.
In my last week’s post, I hesitated to include his own photo. How do you photograph the man who spent a lifetime photographing others? But many alumni insisted. So here it is. A rare image of Surendra Gujar, captured on my iPhone while I was writing his story.
I hope it brings back memories for all those who passed through Sevagram’s corridors during those years when photographs were printed, not posted. And this was the man who ensured that no moment was lost.
He retired from the camera but left us countless frames of history. Alas, all those photographs- I cannot find them. Where have they gone?