Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Tezpur University received a historic donation of vintage cameras on August 19, 2026. The gear belonged to Nalini Kanta Baruah, a legendary Assamese photographer famously dubbed the Shutter Guru. His son, Madhurjya Baruah, handed over the items during the World Photography Day event titled Sobi Ghor.
The university Department of Mass Communication and Journalism will maintain the cameras for student research and display. Pro Vice-Chancellor Amarendra Kumar Das opened the exhibition alongside Dean of Students’ Welfare Manabendra Mandal and Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences Chandan Kumar Sharma. Baruah established his studio, Photo Service, back in 1957. He built his reputation documenting major events like the Indo-China War.
The event explored themes including The Essence of Independence, Discovering Home Away from Home, and Nature. Organizers also set up a photo wall to honor cultural icon Zubeen Garg. Department Head Manoj Deori accepted the gift, while Madhurjya Baruah praised the students for their work. He noted that it was vital to see them rely on authentic talent, stating, "It was encouraging to see students relying on their own creativity and photographic skills at a time when artificial intelligence is increasingly capable of altering and generating images."
The program included an alumni talk from Oil India Limited executive Jayant Bormudoi. Judges for the student competition included photojournalist Samir Kar, visual storyteller Sajijur Rehman, and Registrar-in-Charge Chandan Goswami.
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