By: Sanjeev Singh Bariana

The Tribune: December 10, 2007

Mohinder Singh Dhillon's is an inspiring success story of an NRI Punjabi "Sir" who captured rare footage of the Ethiopian famine and the aftermath of the Vietnam war. Work of Sir Mohinder Singh forms part of the BBC and National Geographic Channel archives, besides a number of international documentary libraries. Besides scores of international awards, the ace photographer was knighted by the Order of Saint Mary of Zion in November, 2005, for television footage that helped Ethiopian 1984 famine victims to receive world attention. Prince Philip is the Grand Master of the Order which constitutes a valid chivalric Order of Knighthood.

On a visit to his place of birth Phulanwal (Ludhiana), the pioneer war TV cameraman, spread a pile of papers and reports of his achievements during an interview today. The "treasure" includes pictures of ravaged Vietnam, riots in Kenya and famine in Ethiopia, besides trouble in Bangladesh and Thailand. He also has in his bag the draft of a book being written on him.

When India was waking up to independence in 1947, the 16-year-old travelled by ship to Kenya with his father to make a new beginning in life. His father worked for the Railways and the little educated Mohinder did not qualify for any government job. He started photography and never looked back.

Mohinder started a studio and then joined a publication. During the process he started making documentaries and his "After the Fire" based on the Vietnam war won him critical acclaim. The script aired by the BBC had the voice of famous star Arthur Kitt. His movie on the Ethiopian famine in 1984 also won him international recognition. Mohinder also served as official photographer of Prince Philip Makonnen Haile Selassie of Ethiopian for at least eight years.

Mohinder captured rare images in photographs from the lands of Asia and Africa, in particular. Everything was going fine for the ace photographer, till he had a miraculous escape from a helicopter fall from a height of more than 8,000 feet in the Rift valley more than a decade ago. He did manage to walk back to normalcy, till a couple of years back when he retired from active work.

An epitome of never-give-up spirit, Mohinder these days delivers lectures at an institute of American University in Nairobi. He gives inspirational notes, besides of course camera technicalities. "It is easy to find technical teachers, but for a special kind of photography, an artist needs to be inspired and real-life examples are the best source of inspiration", he remarked.

"I sometimes cannot believe my picture of tagging along on the arm of my father from Babarpur village of the district when I travelled to Kenya in 1947. I had never seen any motor car, rail and never even thought about an aeroplane. Determination and hunger to excel goaded me in my life to do something different and interesting as photography," he added.