The camera has always been his first love. While he was in class VIII, he used to roam around with a camera and dreamt of making a living out this passion. He was the eldest child in the family and his parents, like everybody else, wanted their son to become an engineer. He was brilliant in studies too and he did study in the Jorhat Engineering College. But the attraction of the film and light was so strong that he quit his engineering studies midway and landed in Guwahati to start a whole new life altogether. He is Tapan Das, who was become synonymous with photography in Assam.

Today, he is not only a successful photographer himself but also a guiding light who has helped many an aspiring talent to take up photography as a profession, courtesy his dream child, PVTI Institute of Photography that has traversed nineteen successful years, producing a band of young professionals who have made a name for themselves in different media.

Today, he is not only a successful photographer himself but also a guiding light who has helped many an aspiring talent to take up photography as a profession, courtesy his dream child, PVTI Institute of Photography that has traversed nineteen successful years, producing a band of young professionals who have made a name for themselves in different media.

In Guwahati, he learnt photography while continuing with his science graduation program in a city college. After completing his graduation, he plunged into the field to become a professional photographer. It was a challenging job for him as during that time there was only a handful of professionals who made a living providing photographs to a limited number of journals and newspapers published from Assam.

But Tapan Das was lucky to have the blessings of people like late Nirode Choudhury, noted journalist and editor of popular Assamese weekly “Asam Bani” and Late Beni Madhab, another noted journalist who infused modernity to magazines like “Silpir Prithivi” with some unique layout and design. Nirode Choudhury would take Tapan Das with him to different parts of Assam for supporting visuals for his stories on different topics that made “Asam Bani” a household name during the time, while Beni Madhab would assign the photographer to capture different subjects through the lens for his cultural magazine. And soon, Tapan Das, who began to contribute photographs to other periodicals as well, became a prominent name.

He, however, did not keep himself confined to press photography alone. He tried his hand in the Assamese cinema world also, dabbing as a still photographer. In those days, still photographers had to be brought from Kolkata to meet the requirements. In the 1980s, he ushered in a short of revolution in still photography in Assamese cinema, involving himself in as many as sixteen film projects. He also made a documentary on the “Tiger -Project” in Manas National Park that earned accolades from the critics and viewers alike.

Born and brought up in Nalbari, Tapan Das, whose first press photograph – an even of the historic Assam agitation — appeared in “The Assam Tribune” in 1979 during his early years in this profession, joined Assamese daily “Natun Dainik” in 1987 as a full time press photographer. He was also associated with the Natun Dainik Group’s sister publication “Chitra Sambad”, where his weekly photo feature of the Assamese film artists and other celebrities, in their day-to-day life, became very popular.

Then came the time to give shape to his dream project- starting a complete photography institute in Assam that would change the scenario, besides offering platform to those latent talents to home their skills as well as excel in a medium dominated by film, light and lens. So in 1995, he established in Guwahati a unique set up Photographic and Vocational Training Institute, which was later rechristened as PVTI Institute of Photography.

Today, after several eventful years, PVTI Institute of Photography is a name to be reckoned with in Assam as far as teaching and training in Photography is concerned. Courses in Photography and an array of allied subjects like video and digital photography, motion picture photography, editing, television graphics and animation, etc. are offered in the institute. Tapan Das is today a happy and contented man, having been able to serve the society with whatever resources he can. “Several of my students are now serving in newspapers and magazines of national repute”
-Mr. Das says.

Achievements

• A past president of All Assam Photo Journalist Union.
• 1981- Best regional photo Journalist Award by Tamil Nadu photographers society.
• 1986- Best Photo Journalist award by Assam Sports Association.
• 1987- 1994 – worked as a Senior Faculty of Assam Institute of
  Photography and worked as a visiting Lecturer of Jyoti Chitraban Film
  And Television Institute, Guwahati
• 1989- “Nabin Surjya” award from Assam UNESCO Club.
• 2008- “Best photographer of the State” award by Assam Sports & Cultural Festival of Assam.
• A part of the eminent jury of All India Photo Competition organized by the Kaziranga Wild Life Society and All India Photo Competition by North Eastern Photo Academy, Guwahati (NEPA), recognized by India International Photographic Council (IIPC), New Delhi.
• 2019- “Rupkar” award for contribution in the field of Assamese film industry as still photographer and facilitating photography course in systematic way which sets a new milestone in photography culture in Assam.
• 2019- “Certificate of Appreciation” In recognition of long years of service & contribution towards photography scenario in North
  East India by “Photo Musings Colour Lab”, Guwahati

SKILL IN PHOTOGRAPHY IS ACQUIRED BY PRACTICE AND NOT BY PURCHASE.