Well-known press photographer Pravin Panchal (seen with Dev Anand in picture) breathed his last on 10th March at his residence in Bombay. He was hale and hearty and he collapsed while watching television around 8 p.m. He was cremated the following day.
Pravinbhai, as he was affectionately called, was an extremely fine human being. He had a permanent smile on his face, which made him endearing to all those he came in contact with. He was soft-spoken and excelled in his work. Although he was inactive since around ten years due to old age, he had a huge body of work to his credit before that. He is survived by his wife and their only child, photographer Ravi Panchal. Ravi is the third-generation Panchal in the profession of press photography and works with ABP News as a senior camera person. Pravin Panchal’s uncle, B.J. Panchal, was also a well-known press photographer in the film industry. According to Ravi, “His father was in good health and had not left home for an entire year due to the coronavirus outbreak. He was watching television on Wednesday night and collapsed. A doctor, residing in the same building, declared him dead on examination.”