Through the viewfinder

In the process he has amassed a vast collection of over 30,000 colour slides of the most unusual locales today 8211; Latin America, Egypt, Central Africa, South Africa, America and Europe 8211; encompassing the colourful and exotic to the simple and serene. His slides are a treasure-trove of photographic evidence on nature8217;s bounty, unique monuments and places of historic interest.

Two refrigerators at his home in Anand Park and one in his clinic are choc-a-bloc with packets filled with slides. 8220;The slides have to be refrigerated since slides can catch fungus easily, and these slides are like my children,8221; he explains, and spends a few hours everyday cleaning them.

Pant8217;s inspiration has been his father, the former Raja of Aundh, who was artistically inclined and his hobbies gradually rubbed off on his children. 8220;My father had a large collection of cameras. The first photograph I remember taking was the garden of our house in Aundh with the fountain in it. Yes it did turn out to be lopsided and out-of-focus,8221; recalls Pant with a chuckle.

Pant is a self-taught artiste, and his leisurely pastime turned serious when he completed his medical education. 8220;I studied at the GS Medical College, Mumbai, I didn8217;t get much time for anything else then. Later, I was working in England and Norway where my elder brother Appasaheb, was stationed there as Ambassador and he encouraged me to pursue my passion again,8221; says Pant. From the viewfinder of a newly-purchased SLR camera, the beauty of the wintry Norwegian landscape struck him forcibly and Pant was hooked for life. He has visited almost all corners of India and interesting places round the world, capturing the most awesome images. 8220;All this requires a lot of travel and I need to plan all trips carefully,8221; he says.

What has been the most memorable panorama he8217;s seen so far? None other than the imposing Kailas Mansarovar. 8220;There is just nothing to beat that. The place has a matchless pristine beauty. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.8221; he exults. Today his photographs of Kailas and that region may be a record of sorts because the Malpa mishap in recent times has altered the original landscape.

In Pant8217;s photo features, human figures are conspicuous by their absence. 8220;I feel a trifle shy of clicking people,8221; he says. But in case they augment a photograph8217;s charm, some stray figures do find their way into the frame. When he visited Egypt with his wife Pushpa also a doctor, he made her stand at one side of the pyramids. 8220;You can8217;t gauge the size and height of the pyramids unless you show a human figure for comparison,8221; he says.

Pant is dead against taking guided tours on a photo expedition. 8220;Tours don8217;t give you time to absorb everything. If you want to stay back at a particularly interesting place, they just drive you out of there,8221; he laments. 8220;When I visited Indonesia, I went to see the famous Buddhist temple, Boro Budur, which is a huge carved mountain, with close to 1,000 panels and they gave us just half-an-hour to see this sight. I remember I just clicked away without looking and it was only when I saw the photographs that I was able to appreciate the beauty. Guided tours are no good for me,8221; he concludes.

Pant carries two cameras, different lenses from the Fish Eye to the 500 mm Tele-photo lens, filters, a stand, flash and plenty of films in his knapsack. He uses the Nikon F3 and Nikon FM cameras, since he is comfortable with them. He also keeps a diary of the photographs, recording the date and the history of the place.

And what has all this taught him? 8220;It has taught me great patience. There are times when you have to wait for a good shot. It has also shown me how we are destroying the ecology. On the Kailas Mansarovar trek, one side of the river Kali is Nepal and the other is India. On the Nepal side one sees lush greenery and on the Indian side, there8217;s massive deforestation,8221; he relates sadly.

Pant8217;s interest in the artistic does not stop here. Just as he is charmed by nature8217;s beauty, he is also fascinated by colour on canvas. The collection of paintings amassed by his father continue to be a source of pleasure for him. 8220;I have studied paintings, especially the European Masters, which I have also photographed,8221; he adds.

Pant is also interested in yoga, which he practices religiously everyday. His father was the expert though, and has written a treatise on suryanamaskar. 8220;When I started practice in Pune I used to cycle to and fro to my clinic. And mind you, it was a long stretch from Baner to Tilak Road, a good one-hour ride,8221; he says.

Pant has not entirely abandoned his cycling exercises despite congested roads. For his evening clinic he rides the bike, to and fro every single day. This also helps him in maintaining fitness levels during his umpteen photography expeditions.

Well, here8217;s more power to his camera.