Photo of kebab seller from Kashmir wins international photography award

An Indian photographer has won a prestigious international photography contest with his image of a kebab seller from Kashmir. Debdatta Chakraborty was named the overall winner of Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2022 for his photograph, titled Kebabiyana. Taken in an alleyway of Srinagar, Kashmir, the photograph shows a kebab seller firing up a charcoal oven to make wazwan kebabs.

“Khayyam Chowk is an alleyway in Sri Nagar, which is no different from other streets during daytime. But, in the evening, numerous charcoal ovens are lit up by vendors and the aroma and smoke of wazwan kebabs turn this street into a food-lover’s paradise,” reads the image description.

Overall Winner
And finally, huge congratulations to Debdatta Chakraborty, Overall Winner of the 2022 @FoodPhotoAward Competition with Kebabiyana.

An amazing winning image! #FoodPhotoAwards22 pic.twitter.com/eQ0eQTsRqQ

— Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year (@FoodPhotoAward) April 26, 2022

"There is so much to reassure us here - the beautifully captured billowing embrace of the smoke, the golden light, the subject's expression as he prepares the food for sharing,” said awards founder and director Caroline Kenyon for Chakraborty’s image.

"Sparks fly from the skewers, whose roasting we can almost smell. We imagine the warm, delicious aroma. This image, gentle but powerful, nourishes our soul."

For his own part, Chakraborty seemed elated with the recognition. "Can't believe it," he wrote while posting the news on Instagram.

According to BBC, thousands of entries were submitted from across 60 countries. Of these, finalists were chosen for 27 categories. Winners were declared in a livestreamed event yesterday on the competition’s YouTube channel.

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