Everyone dreams to become someone since childhood, but some people’s dream changes as they
grow up, but mine never changed! I was a kid when I held camera for the first time. It belonged to
my uncle who is a photographer. I was very fond of photography since childhood. I use to keep
clicking pictures all day, once I get a camera. My parents thought it is just a childhood hobby and so
one day I will grow up and will forget it. One day I grew up but my thoughts never did. My mother is
a principal in a school and father is a civil-engineer, means a very academic background family. So as
expected after finishing my schooling, they forcefully admitted me to engineering college, even after
knowing that photography is my passion. I have suffered a lot to join the institute of ‘MAAC M.G.
road Pune’. While doing the first year of engineering, there was a time that I could not think or do
anything apart from photography, so I just left engineering half way and returned home. My parents
were very much annoyed with me. Then I told them vividly that I cannot do anything but
photography. I told them that I want to make my passion as my career. They were very angry and
asked me to leave home forever. They thought there is no career for me in photography. I convinced
them and I urged them, so I was given one chance and my father allowed me to get admission in
Bachelor of Arts in animation visual effects in MAAC institute. He booked a ticket for commencing
week after vacations of third semester to join the institute, but I cancelled it and booked next day’s
ticket. As I had to take part in photography contest named ‘Beyond the Frame 2.0 Monochrome’. My
parents were again upset with me and they just said one thing to me, you do whatever you want
and stopped talking to me. My parents were against participating in this contest. I sent ten pictures,
five in my name and other five in my brother’s name. Six pictures were selected from ten, and
amongst which two were selected for finals. After a month results were out and came to know that I
won second and third, both the positions. I was very happy and so were my parents, but still they did
not have full faith in me that I could do photography. Then again I participated in ‘9 th annual MAAC
24fps International animation awards 2012 Mumbai’. All photography institutes and colleges in India
took part in this contest. I won first prize in the contest, and I immediately called my parents and
told them that their son has won the first prize. They became so happy could hear their
overwhelmed voices and could feel their eyes full of tears, and which is one of the most beautiful
moments of my life. The best thing I heard from them is that ‘son, we are proud of you’. Shared first
step of my small success with all my friends and pals and all were very happy and proud of me. My
friends updated their statuses on their Facebook accounts saying that ‘my friend Roopam’s story is
similar to Farhan Qureshi’s story from a movie called 3Idiots.’ Then I was called and felicitated by
MAAC institute in a hotel called ‘B. Lalit Intercontinental Mumbai’. I felt out of the world that day.
Then next day suddenly I got a call from ‘FTII Pune’. I was called up for five days shoot of a music
video, as production skill photographer, just for my experience. That music video is yet to release
called ‘The Drowning’. I got so much to learn and I am grateful to them for this experience, as I am
just 22 years and pursuing just 2nd year of my photography course and I got such a good exposure.
Till today I have never lost any photography contests which I have participated in. In all contests I
have used my friend’s cameras, because I never had mine. So one day my father asked me, “which
DSLR camera you want to buy son?” I replied to him, that I will buy camera the day I will earn from
winning the next photography contest which is ‘Travel Photography Scholarship 2012 Oman’. I just
do not need to win this contest to win a camera, but I need to win this contest to elevate my
photography career and to get a good start to my career, as I have craved and suffered a lot to come
till here, just for my passion ‘photography’ and I'm dying for it!
