Then he attended an international youth conference where he met many people with unconventional careers like juggling, street theatre etc. He felt a surge of hope.

One fine day as he walked down the street it dawned on him that photographing babies was his chosen field.

He says, "Initially, it was very difficult to convince parents to let me photograph their kids. I was new and maybe there was a factor of mistrust. I used to walk on the streets and practice my skills there, photographing street children etc."

A self-taught photographer, Ankur would click away and later show his work to experienced photographers for their feedback and tips.

He learnt how to develop film from ad photographer Pesi Dubash and exposure techniques and lighting from industrial photographer Rohintan Irani.

"One fine day I photographed a friend's baby. And my career took off from there, " he says. Advertising proved costly. So, Ankur's reputation grew mostly through word of mouth.