A hobby that he developed in his teenage became a passion for Siddharth Lakhotia several years after he entered the profession of medicine. From capturing the serenity of Parvathy Valley in the Himalayas during his vacation in Class XII, Dr. Lakhotia’s journey into the world of photography has never stopped.
More than 300 pictures of nature in its various forms and colours, portraits, musical and dance events captured during his travel to different places including Jammu and Kashmir, the northeastern states and southern states including Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu were displayed at ‘Eternal Happiness of Life’ an exhibition of photography in Maison Colombani in Puducherry.
“When I started studying medicine, I could not concentrate much on photography. Still, I was taking pictures on and off and kept my passion alive,” he said.
After completing MBBS, he did MS and M.Ch. He worked at B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre, Kolkata, LSR Institute, Delhi and Shree Satya Sai Heart Hospital, Rajkot before joining as faculty in the Department of Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at the Institute of Medical Sciences in BHU in Varanasi. He was instrumental in establishing open heart surgery programme at IMS, BHU.
‘Protect environment’
Born into a family passionate about art, he says, “I was inspired by my parents. My father’s hobby was photography and each member in my family was inclined towards art. I always wanted to publish my photographs and show it to a larger audience. By doing this, I wanted to share the message that nature is our teacher and medicine, and we need to protect the environment for our survival and for the future of our children,” he said.
The cardio thoracic surgeon added that photography is purely an art. “I feel art can be kept alive in each of us, in whichever profession we are and this will help us do better in our fields. Art teaches us to be humble and empathetic,” he said.
He says: ‘Photography is my passion, my hobby. It helps me relax and rejuvenate, to concentrate more on my profession and to express my inner core. Through it I enjoy the reflections of the eternal. It freezes a moment forever.”
He has done six solo exhibitions titled ‘Sun and its Reflections’, ‘Dreams on Wings’, ‘Pratibimb: The Reflections’, ‘Drops of Life’, ‘Rays of Love’ and ‘Rhythms of Happiness’.
The photo exhibition will be go on till November 27.
