Passion knows no age and bears no prejudice, and 66-year-old Seshadri Sukumar’s story is a testament to that.

Seshadri was born in Thanjavur, but his parents moved to Chennai shortly after his birth. After graduating with a BCom degree, Seshadri, like many at the time, applied for a job at a national bank.

“In those days, the process of appointment would take a long time, sometimes years. So I applied for the job in 1976 and got the appointment confirmation and letter in 1978. During the two years in between, I decided to learn new skills like typewriting, book-keeping, photography, and more. But I fell in love with photography. After the job was confirmed, I moved on to make my posting as a chief cashier at the bank in Manampatti near Mahabalipuram. After 10 months, I was transferred to Chennai, and in 1979, my employers recognised my talent in photography and made me their official photographer,” he says. In 1984, he began working as a freelance sports photographer as well.
After retirement in 2001, he began taking up international assignments, covering a plethora of iconic sports moments.
One such incident was during the 2016 Rio Olympics when Helen Maroulis made history by defeating 13-time champion, Saori Yoshida, Japanese freestyle wrestler. It was a historic moment for the USA but a crushing loss for Japan, especially Yoshida. My photo captured the raw emotion of loss on her face.” This photograph later won Seshadri a gold medal from the Photographic Society of America.

In addition to several other accolades, one of the most memorable moments for Seshadri was when ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar chose one of his clicks to adorn the book cover of his autobiography, ‘Playing It My Way’, published in 2014.
While he was a bank employee for the major part of his career, he continued to nurse his passion for photography. Close to his retirement, he decided to take a leap of faith and follow his dreams of becoming a professional sports photographer.
Seshadri’s life and work have been a source of inspiration for many.

Credit- The Better India