Ramesh Shukla was born in Ahmedabad, India in 1938. He developed a fascination for photography at the age of 14, when his father gave him a Rolleicord camera as a birthday gift. It was the beginning of a life-long obsession with the art. In 1965, a group of friends who admired his photography invited him to Dubai, and he stayed for two months. The photographs he took then are among the most important in his collection today. After several more visits to Dubai, he returned to stay permanently, and set up his first photographic studio in the area, behind Nasser Square.

Ramesh’s timing was perfect. The coastal sheikhdoms, which were shortly to unite into the United Arab Emirates, were developing at an astonishing rate, and he was in a unique position to record these changes for posterity. Ramesh is a well-respected artist, versatile in many media, and his paintings and photographs stand alongside each other in his galleries. His images of the Rulers of the United Arab Emirates adorn palaces and private collections, and his work appears on UAE postage stamps and currency notes. The images represent one of the most comprehensive photographic records of the country’s foundation and progress.

Shukla, who’s married with one son, owns the Four Seasons Ramesh Gallery in Karama, Dubai, where his historical photos from the 1960s are on display. He also has other galleries in the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai’s Heritage Village, Bastakiya and Mall of the Emirates.