One thing I directly inherited from my late father is the love for photography. As a child, whenever I opened his camera kit, I used to be awe. Those elegant Pentax camera bodies, Yashica lenses, Minolta gear … they felt like treasures from another world (although at that time he didnt allowed me to use it).
During my recent visit to Pakistan, I requested my family to let me preserve his vintage camera gear as a symbol of his legacy. This year, on his 75th birthday, I wanted to surprise him by curating my own photographs at Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival (KLPF 2025), one of the largest Photography event in Malayia. Life had other plans, but I’m deeply grateful to Photographic Society of Petaling Jaya (PSPJ) , who still curated my work even though I couldn’t secure my own booth, due to his untimely demise. 
So, what’s my favorite photograph? It’s not one I took myself… but the ones clicked by my father when I was just 6 years old. These frames reminds me of his passion, his vision, and how unknowingly he passed on this legacy to me.
This World Photography Day, I celebrate him, the man who unknowingly made me a storyteller with a camera. 
