India, Aug. 19 -- A cultural photographer for over 55 years, Rakesh Sinha has led a dual life for much of his career. While he held a technical day job at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), he nurtured a lifelong passion as a freelance photographer in the evenings.

Reflecting on his recent Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by President Droupadi Murmu for 2025, Sinha says, "As I complete almost over five decades in the field of photography, receiving the prestigious honour in the Art Photography (Overall Contribution / Cultural Photography) category is an honour. Awards always mean that you and your art are still relevant. And that matters the most."

He started photography in the early 1970s and captured his first event photo as a 15-year-ol...