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Kishor Parekh (1930-1982) was an Indian photojournalist.[1] He was born in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, and studied filmmaking and documentary photography at the University of Southern California.[citation needed] His work as a student won him numerous awards. He returned to India from 1960 to 1961 and became the chief photographer of the Hindustan Times. In this capacity, he covered the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the 1965 conflict between India and Pakistan. He was awarded a gold medal by Soviet Land for his coverage of the Tashkent summit that marked the conclusion of the war.[citation needed] He covered the 1966-1967 famine in Bihar and his photographs on this subject were exhibited in the United States. He also shot Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru until the latter's death in 1964.[citation needed]
After six years at the Hindustan Times, Parekh joined the Asia Magazine in Hong Kong in 1967.[citation needed] He travelled throughout the Asia Pacific region on assignment. Later on, he became photo editor of Pacific Magazines Ltd, a position he held till about 1972. Afterwards, he returned to Bombay.[citation needed]
Parekh is best known for his work on the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. His book on the subject, Bangladesh: A Brutal Birth, was a covered the atrocities committed by the Pakistani forces and the suffering of the native Bengali population.[2] According to photographer Pablo Bartholomew: '"Bangladesh was Kishor’s highest point. Self-assigned, self-funded, driven by his own instincts, emotions and guts, in a two-week period he produced a startling set of images that became a powerful book and statement.".[3] The Indian government commissioned 20,000 copies of the book to raise awareness of the war.[citation needed]
Parekh's work appeared in numerous national and international publications including National Geographic, Paris Match, Sunday Times, Time magazine, Stern, Popular Photography and Asahi Graphic. He died of a heart attack in 1982 while on assignment in the Himalayas.[citation needed] Upon his death, his 16-year-old son Swapan Parekh became a photographer.
Kishor was married to Saroj Parekh.[citation needed]