One moment at a time : Viewing the World with Dr. Mousumi Roychowdhury’s lens.
Work identities often tend to overshadow our dreams, passions and desires. For most people, the role they play in their career starts defining them, leaving little room for alternative hobbies or creative pursuits. There are individuals who manage to create harmony between the two, seemingly contrasting worlds. One such person is Dr. Mousumi Roychowdhury, a Consultant Radiologist by profession. Beyond her career in the medical field, she lives another identity that is shaped by photography—part of a wider landscape of Indian photography and the Indian photo community.
She defines her love for photography as a “miraculous thread that weaves the temporal with eternal”
Art and science, seen as two opposites, coexist beautifully in her life. Her artistic journey began with her father’s camera when she was just four years old. What might have been a childhood curiosity eventually became her lifelong buddy. For Dr. Roychowdhury every photograph is something beyond pixels. It is an attempt to capture the transience of life. “Nobody can bring back moments that are gone,” she reflects, “but through photographs, we get to relive them.”
She listens to her patients all day with attention and care while outside the clinic, her camera observes the world, emotions, gestures and untold stories. Over time her camera became more than just a technical instrument, it became her companion that preserves the brief reality around her.
Her fascination lies with nature and wildlife. “I get very happy when I find rare birds outside my clinic,” she said, conveying delight. While bird and nature photography define her works, she admits that street photography has equally shaped her vision. The dynamic expressions and the unscripted emotions of people, and the raw rhythm of street life leave her contemplating. For her, photography is an act of observation before it becomes creation. “Without being an observer, you cannot be a storyteller,” she insists. And whether she is looking at festival pictures, everyday festival photos, or quiet wetlands, the principle remains the same—observe first.
Her fascination lies with nature and wildlife. “I get very happy when I find rare birds outside my clinic,”… “Without being an observer, you cannot be a storyteller.”
Her works embody this idea. One of her notable captures, which won her a silver award in wildlife photography from COG India, presents her idea of storytelling. The image displays a kingfisher carrying a fish in its beak while a cormorant waits in excitement nearby. She turns this wildlife shot into a narrative, where the birds have gathered together for a special occasion—almost like a lunch date. For her, it’s not just a frame, but a moment worth reliving; the kind of frame that could sit beside any photo of the year gallery without losing its sincerity.
For many photographers, light is technical; for Dr. Roychowdhury, it holds emotional value. A silhouette or the glow of the backlight, even the shadows, aren’t just a technical choice but an element of the story a photograph tells. Each photograph, in her eyes, must have feelings to convey and a story to tell. Otherwise it reduces to just an empty record of an incident. A photo should be more than just a visual treat; there must be a story that awakens curiosity.
In this day and age, where debates on photography equipment rule clubs and forums, Dr. Roychowdhury’s stance offers an enlivening view. She acknowledges the role of good lenses, especially in wildlife and bird photography; however, she maintains that the device remains secondary to perspective. “We can click anything,” she insists, “but it won’t matter unless it has meaning.” She is not chasing photography contest trophies, “photographer of the year” lists, or trending 2024 photo threads; she would rather hold a truthful moment.
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To explain this, she draws from the example of Satyajit Ray. With limited resources, Ray created timeless masterpieces that still remain close to all our hearts. In the same way, a smartphone or DSLR is merely a tool; it is the vision and depth behind the image that makes it memorable.
Her conviction challenges the modern-day technical debates across photography clubs today. Balancing work life and passion is never simple, especially when the medical career is so toilsome. Medical careers require a strict routine, long hours, constant mental involvement and attention. Dr. Roychowdhury admits that following a strict routine with respect to photography is barely possible. She flows with the waves of life, carrying her camera wherever her medical career takes her, allowing photography to weave itself into her everyday life.
When not photographing, she paints, in order to translate her feelings into a physical form. She is committed to preserving the essence of what she experiences. She prefers to use a Nikon camera and often keeps her focal length between 50–250mm, which allows her to capture a wide range of angles, from quiet streets to Indian festival photos when they appear before her.
Unlike many artists who measure success in awards, recognition or comparisons, Dr. Roychowdhury has a different standpoint. For her, the true yardstick of success lies within. “Peace is real success. When you are satisfied with your own work without any competition or comparison, that stands as a true achievement.”
Her thoughts are a reminder that external accolades, while encouraging, are not the ultimate goal. What truly matters is self-satisfaction, a sense of peace and fulfilment. For her, it’s less about competing in the external world and more about satisfying the inner calm. The most noteworthy feature of her artistic journey is her virtue of preserving essence rather than beauty. The spirit of the moment is what matters to her. Through her lens, momentary pleasures of life find permanence—one frame at a time for the India best photo we carry within.
To the world, she might be a doctor, but outside the walls of the clinic she continues to view the world through her lens, seeking untold stories, capturing feelings, joys and connections that go unnoticed. Photography to her is not an escape from work life, but a complement to it. It’s another way of listening and observing intently—this time not people, but moments.
Science reminds us how small we are as a part of the universe, which is exactly why every moment we live is so rare. Dr. Mousumi Roychowdhury not only reminds us of the coexistence of art and science, but also to cherish and capture every moment we have on Earth.
