Beyond the spotlight: PM Modi's recurring moments behind the camera

A closer look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's lesser-seen moments behind the camera, capturing wildlife, cityscapes, and candid scenes during official visits.

In Short

• PM often seen taking photos during official visits, showing personal engagement
• Visits to Bandipur, Kaziranga, Gir included moments of wildlife observation via photography
• PM clicked Kolkata's Hooghly River life, blending political visit with personal exploration

Every now and then, amid the optics of state visits and official engagements, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen stepping slightly to the side, camera in hand, framing a shot. It's a detail that surfaces across years of photographs: not staged, not central to the event, but consistent enough to feel like a personal thread running parallel to public life.

From forests and riverbanks to cityscapes and ceremonial moments, these glimpses showed him engaging with spaces not just as a visitor, but as an observer trying to capture them. The result was a visual pattern, one where the subject occasionally became the one behind the lens, documenting the very moments he was part of.

AHMEDABAD HOT AIR BALLOON EVENT (2010)

At Kankaria Lake on September 8, 2010, then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a hot air balloon event designed to boost tourism in the city.

Amid the colour and spectacle of balloons rising over the lakefront, he was seen using a camera to capture aerial and ground visuals of Ahmedabad. The moment stood out not just for the event itself, but for the way he engaged with it, documenting the city’s transformation and festive atmosphere from his own perspective.

In another image from his tenure as CM in Gujarat, Modi appeared holding a camera during an official visit to the state. While details of the exact occasion remain limited, such moments were not uncommon during his chief ministership, when he frequently visited development sites, cultural events, and public programmes.

KUNO NATIONAL PARK CHEETAH RELEASE (2022)

On September 17, 2022, at Kuno National Park, PM Modi released cheetahs brought from Namibia into a special enclosure, marking the species’ return to India after nearly seven decades of extinction. Shortly after the release, he was seen clicking photographs of the animals, capturing a moment that was both symbolic and historic in India’s wildlife conservation journey.

The act of photographing the cheetahs added a personal dimension to an otherwise landmark conservation milestone, blending official duty with individual engagement.

BANDIPUR TIGER RESERVE VISIT (2023)

During his visit to Bandipur Tiger Reserve on April 9, 2023, the Prime Minister spent time within one of India’s renowned tiger habitats. The trip coincided with initiatives around Project Tiger, marking 50 years of the programme.

Images from Bandipur showed him in the forest setting, once again reflecting a pattern where official visits to natural reserves often intersect with moments of observation, sometimes through the lens of a camera.

KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK VISIT (2024)

On March 9, 2024, Prime Minister Modi travelled to Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its population of one-horned rhinoceroses. Beginning early in the morning, he embarked on a jeep safari through the grasslands and wetlands of the park.

The visit drew attention to India’s conservation successes, particularly in rhino population growth, while also showcasing the biodiversity of the Brahmaputra floodplains.

Multiple images from the same visit captured different phases of the safari, moving through tall elephant grass, crossing water channels, and scanning the landscape. The sequence of photographs documented not just a formal visit, but a continuous engagement with the environment, as PM Modi appeared attentive to the wildlife and terrain around him.

GIR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY SAFARI (2025)

On March 3, 2025, marking World Wildlife Day, PM Modi visited the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, the only natural habitat of Asiatic lions. During the safari, he was seen immersed in the landscape, observing the lions and the dry deciduous forest ecosystem.

The visit emphasised ongoing conservation efforts in the region, and images from the day showed him closely engaged with the terrain and wildlife, reinforcing his long-standing association with environmental initiatives in Gujarat.

HOOGHLY RIVER BOAT RIDE PHOTOGRAPHY (2026)

On April 24, amid the West Bengal Assembly elections, PM Modi was seen aboard a boat on the Hooghly River. Against the backdrop of Kolkata’s historic riverfront, he picked up a camera and began photographing scenes along the water, bridges, ghats, and daily life unfolding on the banks. The moment stood apart for its informality, offering a glimpse of the city through his lens during a politically significant visit.

Subsequent images from the same ride showed him continuing to take photographs, shifting angles and focusing on different elements of the river scape. The repetition of the act across frames gave the sequence a candid quality, as if documenting a personal exploration of the setting.

Taken together, these moments form a consistent visual motif, one where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not just present at key locations, but actively engaging with them through observation and documentation.

Whether in the wilderness of Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaziranga National Park, or along the banks of the Hooghly River, the recurring images of him with a camera add an unexpected layer to otherwise formal appearances.

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