Sudharak Olwe (born 19 March 1966) is a Mumbai-based

documentary photographer Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle events or environments both significant and relevant to history and historical events as well as everyday life. It is typically undertaken as professional pho ...

, whose work has been featured in national publications and exhibited in Mumbai, Delhi, Malmo (Sweden), Lisbon, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Washington and Dhaka. He has drawn immense admiration and awe in the Indian subcontinent for revealing the naked reality of life’s tragicomic social theater. In 2005, he was one of the four awardees for the

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

's "All Roads Photography Program". He was awarded Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors for his social work in 2016.

Early Days

Mr. Suhdarak Olwe comes from

Akola Akola () is a municipal corporation and the third largest city in Vidarbha after Nagpur and Amravati and tenth largest city in Maharashtra. is located about east of the state capital, Mumbai, and west of the second capital, Nagpur. Akola ...

, a district in the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. He has a Diploma in Photography from the Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art (1986), Mumbai and also a Diploma in Film and Video Production (1992) from

St. Xavier's College, Mumbai St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic, autonomous higher education institution run by the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on January 2, 1869. The college is affil ...

. But he credits his success to experience rather than educational qualifications. He ran away from his home in Mumbai to Hyderabad for some time which taught him about street life which he depicts in his Pictures. Sudharak Olwe heads the Photography promotion Trust, which aims to spread the knowledge of photography in young adults not only in urban areas but in the rural side too.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olwe, Sudharak Living people Indian portrait photographers People from Akola district Documentary photographers Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work 20th-century Indian photographers Photographers from Maharashtra Indian photojournalists 1966 births