Idea that clicked

Tarun Khiwal, 41 Mechanical Engineering, ITTUP, Lucknow First job: Design engineer, West India Power Equipments Age at career switch: 23 years Salary at the time of switch: Rs 3,700 per month Reason for quitting: Wanted to pursue photography Current job profile: Professional photographer Current salary: Best in the industry Transferable skills: Understanding of technology and gadgets Career outlook: “Be intensely passionate about your work”

When Tarun Khiwal chose a predictable career path, he decided to ignore Denis Waitley. The renowned American author and motivational speaker had once said, “Chase your passion, not pension.” While Khiwal’s passion was photography, it was the thought of pension that made him do a four-year diploma (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree) in mechanical engineering from the Institute of Toolroom Training Uttar Pradesh (ITTUP), Lucknow.

Spurred on by the prospect of a safe future, he joined the West India Power Equipments office at Jagdishpur, Uttar Pradesh, in 1989 as a design engineer. His work involved designing and operating machines used in the production of power, and he earned a respectable Rs 3,700 a month.

Eight months into the profession, a steady career graph seemed a given. “Had I continued with the job, I would have headed an instrumentation factory,” he says. But at 22, it’s not easy to develop a fascination for machines if you are preoccupied with thoughts of photography. “I was not enjoying the work at all. It was so mechanical,” says Khiwal. “The dilemma was that if I didn’t want to be a design engineer, what would I be.”

The only other option seemed to be photography. Khiwal had taken to the camera after his father presented him with a Pentax when he was 15. It had ensured his status as the unofficial photographer at all family and college functions.

But turning a pastime into a pay-cheque was fraught with risks. “Off-beat career options were limited at the time,” says Khiwal. Not only would he lose out on a regular source of income, but also lacked the funds to invest in the training required to be a professional photographer. Fortunately, his father, who was working at the time with the Ministry of Railways in Lucknow, agreed to provide financial support to Khiwal. So, at 23, he quit his job and moved to Delhi.

Finding a foothold: Then began five years of struggle that made for a lifetime of learning. Khiwal stayed with his uncle in Ghaziabad and started searching for mentors. It took him six months to convince ace photographer Hardev Singh to take him on as an assistant. He joined him in April 1990.

“The learning was priceless,” says Khiwal, who packed equipment, arranged lights and travelled with Singh. He was exposed to the nuances of architecture photography, but he wanted to capture people. So on Singh’s advise, he approached fashion and ad photographer, Atul Kasbekar. In 1991, he moved to Mumbai and joined Kasbekar as an assistant.

The money he earned was just enough to pay for his food and accommodation in a chawl, but his father’s support continued. “I lived and dreamt photography. I’d be the first to reach the studio and the last to leave,” he says. After a year, Kasbekar gave him independent shoots. The only investment he had made by then was a Nikon 801 camera. Khiwal spent almost three years with Kasbekar.

Training with the best: In 1994, he got a chance to assist Prabuddha Dasgupta, so he moved back to Delhi. “Before embarking on a career, one puts in several years of specialised education. I adopted the same approach for my career in photography,” he says.

As he had time on his hands, he picked up work with First City and fashion magazines, and set up a small studio at Chirag Dilli. By 1995, he was earning Rs 7,000 a month, which was enough for him to move out of his uncle’s house to a shared accommodation in Delhi.

After five years of assisting India’s top photographers, Khiwal’s first big break came in 1996 in the form of a fashion shoot for renowned designer J.J. Vallaya. “It gave me instant recognition, and soon, more and more designers started giving me work,” says Khiwal, who expanded his work to include portraits, fashion shoots, portfolios and advertising.

Settling down: It was still photography for ads that helped him grow financially. “It also gave me a chance to explore the world,” says Khiwal, who got married in 1998 to a gynaecologist. In 2004, he set up a fully integrated studio at East of Kailash, Delhi.

Today, his studio has top-of-the-line equipment and several assistants. Recognition also came in the form of awards like the Hasselblad Master Award (2005), Epson Stylus Pro Award, Asian Photography Award (2005), MTV Style Lycra Award and Kingfisher Fashion Photographer Award.

For Khiwal, changing careers has been a rewarding exercise as “the freedom to choose assignments is gratifying”. But, he warns, chase rainbows only if you believe in their existence.