Meet Rajesh Gupta: The Poet Who Looked Through a Camera
By Antara Mohan
I have known Rajesh ji since my school days as my friend Kushagra’s dad. But yesterday, sitting across from him on our OMG podcast, I felt I had opened a door into a world I had only glimpsed before.
And I did not want that door to close.
We spoke about photography, poetry, fatherhood, the Bhagavad Gita, spirituality and Sri Aurobindo. When we finally had to stop, I was left with the feeling that we had barely begun.
Because Rajesh ji’s life is a collection of frames, each revealing another facet of a man who refuses to stop creating.
He is one of the people behind Gupta Brothers, the founder of Lensocrat, a photographer, poet. But his rarest gift is his ability to see what others miss.
He told us about wanting to photograph Gulzar Saab. Gulzar ji was busy, so Rajesh ji photographed his jooti instead. A pair of shoes became a story. Gulzar Saab loved the image, and that unexpected moment opened the way to more photographs. That is Rajesh ji: when one door closes, he discovers another beautiful entrance.
That same eye created Gulzar Gali at India Story and the coffee-table book Gulzar Saab, while his unforgettable Amrish Puri portrait reveals his ability to find the human story behind the public face.
Yet behind the camera lives a poet. His poems Phoolon Ko Bhi and Virasat carry tenderness, longing and reflection.
Perhaps that is why Sri Aurobindo occupies such a sacred place in his life. Rajesh ji considers him his guru, and this is a bond close to my heart. We spoke about Alipore Jail, which many see as a prison, but which we see almost as an ashram, a place where Sri Aurobindo and other freedom fighters turned confinement into contemplation and experienced profound spiritual awakening.
That same spiritual vision guides Rajesh ji. He believes in turning negatives into positives, as a way of living. He finds possibility where others find limitation.
I see that spirit most beautifully in his children. Having known Kushagra and Kanishk since school, I have admired how Rajesh ji recognised their love for photography, design and the arts. He did not dictate their destinations. He gave them wings.
Yesterday, when I gifted him a handmade photo album, his reaction moved me. It was not extravagant, yet he treasured it with such wonder and emotion that I felt overwhelmed. For a moment, I was sitting with a loving father figure whose heart is still moved by little things.
We also discovered another beautiful thread between us: I learnt Kathak under Pandit Chitresh Das, whom Rajesh ji photographed.
As we restart Indira Cinema, I know Rajesh ji’s vision and generous spirit can help us see new possibilities. He dreams of creating his own podcast and academy, and I pray Sri Aurobindo blesses him with the grace to bring these dreams alive.
Rajesh ji often says, “Smiles to go before I sleep.”
Yesterday, he gave us many smiles.
But he left me wanting more stories, more poetry, more laughter, more wisdom.
The cameras stopped. The clock ran out.
But I hope, with, the conversation has only just begun.
Because Rajesh ji does not merely look through a camera.
He looks at life, and finds poetry.
