This year veteran photographer Rashid D. Bamanbehram received the Yaggopal Singh Chaddha Trophy for Best Press Photo awarded every year by the Mantralaya Vrutpatra Chayyachitrakar Sangh. Jayant Patil, Maharashtra minister for rural development presented the trophy to Bamanbehram on August 21, 2013 at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh in Bombay, reveals a write-up sent to Parsiana by the lensman.
Jayant Patil presenting award to Rashid Bamanbehram
Photo: Armaity R. Bamanbehram
Those on the dais were Devdas Matale, president of the Marathi Patrakar Sangh, Shraddha Belsare, director of news, Mantralaya, Arun Kulkarni, president of the Mantralaya Vrutpatra Chayyachitrakar Sangh. Other notables present included Niranjan Hiranandani, construction magnate, Kailash Agrawal, honorary consul general of Macedonia, G. K. Rathod, registrar of the Bombay High Court, among others.
Starting his career in 1968, Bamanbehram has been a professional freelance press photographer for 45 years. His work has appeared in several publications in Bombay. He has also received three awards for bravery from different organizations for rescuing people while on his assignments. The Government of Maharashtra has given him three awards and others have similarly honored him, including the Giants Club, Lions Club and Rotary Club.
Bamanbehram’s wife Armaity is also a noted photographer and videographer and the couple often work as a team, using their own updated equipment, the write-up mentions.