Prashant Agarwal: The man who captures Indian classical music

Capturing legends at work is never easy, but then trust diplomat-cum-shutterbug Prashant Agarwal, for knowing what it takes to freeze just the right frame for eternity.

The evidence, captured in some breathtaking frames, is currently hanging on the walls of the gallery at the India International Centre where one can witness pictures of maestros of Indian classical music striking just the right note.

The exhibition is his tribute to great Indian artistes including Kishori Amonkar, Amjad Ali Khan, and SPIC-MACAY for their contribution in preserving the country's classical music heritage.

Agarwal, who is also a 1998-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, said he couldn't make peace with the fact that he missed out on Kishori Amonkar's last concert in Delhi in 2016, and came up with the idea of paying his tribute to the great Indian classical vocalist with this exhibition.

"Missing this opportunity to witness the legendary Amonkar in action was something I deeply regretted. That is when I thought why not preserve the memory of our great classical musicians, capturing them as they perform," he said.

Amonkar, 84, passed away on April 3, 2017 at her residence in Mumbai.

"Of course, their music is already preserved; so as a photographer, I thought of capturing their images for posterity... (and) pay my tribute," Agarwal, whose work includes images from concerts he attended over the past two-and-a-half years, told PTI.

And, it was a co-incidence that his tribute came at a day when another doyenne of Indian classical music Annapurna Devi breathed her last.

Does he have her photograph in the exhibition?