Who Am I?
I didn’t even know who I was until last year
2022 was my ‘Annus Horribilis’ a latin phrase meaning ‘terrible year’ made famous by our late Queen to describe her trauma of 1992.
It was a year that would change my life forever and made me re-evaluate my entire existence. I was in a very dark place. I went from 83kg to 61kg within a couple of months and sleep was non existent.
“I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself”
Shalin Kapoor’s ‘Who Am I’? The Music Video
Written, Produced, Directed and Performed by Shalin Kapoor. Music by Michael Jackson
“Why are we trying so hard to fit in, when you’re born to stand out”
The Accolades
The Awards
I have been fortunate to have received multiple awards for my dental practices and for my short student movie.
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist”
The British Dental Journal Collection
I was commissioned by the prestigious British Dental Journal to produce eleven of their cover pages. It was a great honour for me to have contributed to this iconic journal.
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform”
Commissioned by the BDJ to photograph ‘The Wellcome Exhibition’
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions”
Our Award Winning Practices Gallery
sm:)e, Kingston. Design by Shalin.
“What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others”
Shalin Kapoor's 'The Road' 2017
Multi Award Winning Short Student Movie
I joined an evening film making short course at the ‘Met Film School’ based at the iconic Ealing Film Studios. This was the first student short movie I made. I was fortunate to have received multiple International awards for it and it was presented to a packed audience at the Everyman Cinema in Esher.
My first student short movie showing at ‘The Everyman Cinema’ Esher
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth”
Dental Town UK Magazine Collection
I was commissioned by the forward thinking Dental Town UK magazine to create 6 of their front covers. They allowed me full artistic licence in the design.
“Let others determine your worth and you’re already lost, because no one wants people worth more than themselves”
Cover Story Private Dentistry Magazine
Back in 2006 we won Private Dentistry’s ‘Most Innovative Practice’ Award. This is a piece that was written about it and we also featured on the Cover Page.
“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else”
‘We’ve Had Enough’* 2012
A very basic video I made over a decade ago before I knew anything about editing but felt the need to make a video at the time for this rare song by Michael Jackson called ‘We’ve Had Enough’.
Sadly this video and the powerful words by MJ are still relevant today. Current World Events are beyond comprehension and the cruelty that humans inflict on each other and towards the most vulnerable, mostly because of greed, is an indictment of our species on this Planet.
*VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED. CONTAINS DISTRESSING IMAGES OF WAR
“It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly”
Sitting Next to the ‘Mother of Satan’ Device
Our Second Chance in Life
September 15th 2017 8.20am District line from Wimbledon to High Street Kensington…
My wife and I were on our way to a dental course in High Street Kensington. We boarded at Wimbledon Station and the train was filling up very quickly. It was the usual rush hour with children on their way to school and commuters going to work. Our train was approaching its next stop at Parsons Green Station.
As it was about to come to a halt there was a 'boom’ followed by an orange fireball travelling at high speed towards us.
There was immediate panic followed by total chaos. I was pushed to the floor by passengers scrambling to get out of the train. I was laid flat on the floor inside the train head down. I was trampled over for what felt like ages. I didn’t feel pain…I didn’t feel anything… I couldn’t hear anything apart from a low pitched din.
The only thought in my head was my kids and my wife. That feeling when you just give in to what is meant to be. I laid there motionless. I felt a moment of peace. Then I felt my wife grab my hand and she pulled me out on to the platform. Then it was like the volume had been switched back on. Helicopter blades whirring, screaming children, police sirens blaring.
There was chaos on the platform, I saw people struggling to to jump over the railings beside the tracks, there were single shoes and handbags littered on the floor, charred tufts of hair floating in the air and the overbearing stench of burning rubber.
We later found out what had just happened. We were travelling on the same carriage carrying the lethal explosive device intended to kill and maim innocent commuters and school children.
It could have been the last time me and my beloved wife were alive.
The device was packed with sharp shrapnel and contained the highly explosive chemical ‘tri-acetone tri-peroxide’. This was similar to the one used in The Manchester Arena attack which claimed so many young lives.This device has often been referred to as the ‘Mother of Satan’.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing with a statement saying it was carried out by “The Soldiers of the Caliphate”
An event like that wakes you up and makes you appreciate life in a different way. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about the events of that morning.
Watch my interview with Andrew Castle on LBC Radio exactly 24 hours after the incident.
At the trial a few months later the explosive experts said it was ‘pure luck’ that it didn’t fully detonate. Click below to read the Sky News report at the trial. It also shows CCTV of the explosion. The fireball you see in the video is the one I described in my radio interview. I saw the video once but cannot bring myself to watch it again.
“Life is fragile. Don’t take it for granted. Each day is a miracle on this planet. Embrace it, appreciate it and savour every moment. ”
I’m now part of the ‘ADHD Club’
The ADHD brain is extremely frustrating and very unpredictable. It never rests and it’s never a dull moment around those with the condition. They think differently to neurotypicals and many with the condition have harnessed their neurodivergence to achieve great things. These are just a few people of note with ADHD or suspected ADHD/Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine”
The Photographic Galleries
The ‘Sush’ Collection
The Taj Mahal. A symbol of love. Featuring my wife Sush.
The Maldives Collection
The Jumeirah Vittavelli, Maldives
The Practice Collection
Our Practice in Kingston, Surrey
The London Collection
Waterloo, London
The India Collection
The Taj Mahal, Agra, India
The New York Collection
On top of The Rock, Manhattan, New York, NY.
The Royal Parks Collection
Bushy Park, Teddington, London
The Museum and Architectural Collection
Darwin at the Natural History Museum, London
The Malaysia, Bali and Qatar Collection
Malaysian Buddhist Temple, Malaysia
The Dubai Collection
The Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE
TheLas Vegas and LA Collection
Skate Park, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California.
The Hong Kong Collection
The Harbour, Hong Kong
The Car Collection
Mercedes SLS, Mercedes Benz World, Brooklands
The Extras collection
My Beautiful Cat, Lily
The Fun Collection
Spiderman at the Millennium Bridge, London
“Family is not important, it’s everything”
My two beautiful daughters Twaisha and Tiyanna, Atlantis Hotel, Dubai. UAE.
My youngest daughter Tiyanna, Bond Street Underground, London.
My oldest daughter Twaisha , Malaysia.
My beautiful wife and inspiration for my photography Sushma, Taj Mahal, Agra, India.