August 19 is World Photography Day. We doff a hat with picks from Piramal Gallery's archives

Shining eyes, curious faces and shy smiles... nothing captures emotions better than the expert hands of a photographer. On the occasion of World Photography Day this Wednesday, Piramal Gallery's curator Mukesh Parpiani shares some rare and beautiful photographs from its archives. These images, exhibited along with 60 other photographs last week at the gallery, take you on a childhood journey spanning over 50 years.

Says Parpiani, "Every year we hold more than 350 shows by national and international photographers. No paintings are allowed. The exhibition you will see now covers a variety of human emotions."

Piramal Gallery has an archive of thousands of photographs, all donated by photographers. Their work is preserved under controlled temperatures in a safe vault. "With so many photos donated by veteran photographers I thought it would be a good idea to pull them out of the archives and hold an in-house exhibition. Casual and serious visitors can walk in to have a look at some amazing visuals," says Parpiani.

With about 200 books on the subject, visitors are free to use the material for reference. Next is an exhibition by 20 students of National Institute of Photography, starting from Monday.

Piramal Gallery is open from 11 am to 7 pm seven days a week, except on public holidays.