The 7th Photography Exhibition & Award Ceremony of PLAAPA (Photography Lovers – An Abode of Photo Addicts) was held in April 2026 at Gallery Gold, Kolkata. The event brought together emerging and established photographers from across India, reflecting the growing influence of salon photography culture in the region.
PLAAPA, ranked No. 1 photography club in India at the 40th FIP Interclub Competition (2025), has played a significant role in bridging social media photographers with formal salon photography practices.
PLAAPA (Photography Lovers – An Abode of Photo Addicts) is a photography collective and salon-oriented platform that focuses on promoting artistic excellence and international recognition. Founded by Snigdha Kar, the organization works as a bridge between enthusiasts and competitive photography circuits.
The club actively supports photographers in achieving global distinctions such as AFIAP, EFIAP, MPSA, and EFIP, while also curating national and international exhibitions. PLAAPA is known for organizing salons, exhibitions, photography tours, photography mentorship, workshops and award ceremonies that help photographers gain visibility and credentials within recognized photography federations.
The organization is mentored and administered by a team including Bhaja Gobinda Chowdhury, Snigdha Kar, Sandipan Kar, and other senior members of the photographic community.
The 2026 exhibition at Gallery Gold showcased a wide range of photographic genres including street, nature, portrait, and creative visual storytelling. Alongside the exhibition, an award ceremony recognized outstanding contributions and performances in salon competitions.
The event served as a platform for networking, learning, and recognition, drawing participation from photographers across different levels of experience.
Notable Participants
The exhibition featured works by multiple photo artists, including:
- Arunangshu Banerjee
- Abhijit Das
- Achintya Sengupta
- Amit Baran Sen
- Rana Nawab
- Debangshu Das
- Arun Goswami
These participants represented a diverse mix of styles and perspectives, contributing to the overall richness of the exhibition.
Snigdha Kar
Snigdha Kar is an internationally recognized photo artist, juror, the founder and secretary of PLAAPA. She holds rare distinction of being one of the only six women from India to get MPSA (USA). EFIAP (France), and one of the first batch to earn EFIP Gold (Nature, India). With extensive experience in salon photography, she has contributed significantly to mentoring photographers and expanding India’s presence in global photography competitions. Her role as a juror and administrator has been central to PLAAPA’s growth and credibility.
Sandipan Kar
Sandipan Kar is the President of PLAAPA and a distinguished photo artist with accolades including MPSA (USA), EFIAP, and is also from one of the first batch to earn EFIP Gold (Nature). He has been actively involved in organizing exhibitions, mentoring photographers, and contributing to the salon photography ecosystem. His work and leadership have played a key role in establishing PLAAPA as a leading photography club in India.
The PLAAPA exhibition highlights Kolkata’s continuing importance as a cultural hub for photography. By combining traditional exhibition formats with modern salon systems, events like these contribute to the evolution of photographic art in India.
The published result of this exhibition is as follows:
