From Tribute to Icon: The NSG Calendar 2026

 

In a world cluttered by AI images, this calendar stands apart—because nothing replaces raw action and real grit.

 

How we started this calendar 10 years back that eventually became such a rage amongst the youth of the nation.

 

Three Nights That Changed Everything

 

This country can never forget the three nights when Mumbai was held hostage by terror.
The unthinkable unfolded live—on television screens, in real time—inside our homes.

For me, it was an even darker nightmare.

My mother needed an urgent brain scan, and much of Mumbai was paralysed. Roads were shut. Hospitals overwhelmed. Fear hung in the air. Those were moments when helplessness felt absolute. Like many Mumbaikars, we looked up—almost instinctively—for some kind of intervention.

And then, etched forever into my memory, came an image that would change my life.

NSG commandos slithering down from a helicopter.

That single visual—black silhouettes against the night sky—was not cinematic. It was real. And it was hope.

We eventually found a doctor. We moved my mother urgently to Delhi for surgery. Life went on.
But those three days and three nights left a scar on every Mumbaikar.

 

This was not a war fought on distant borders.

This battle unfolded in the heart of the city—inside hotels, railway stations, hospitals. We learned the true meaning of sacrifice as heroes from the NSG, Mumbai Police, and other forces laid down their lives to protect strangers they would never meet again.

 

 

 

   

When Art Became a Responsibility

A few years later, I made a decision.

Not as a photographer chasing a project—but as a citizen carrying a memory.

 

I wanted to pay tribute to these heroes. To bring my experience in fashion, action, and lifestyle photography into capturing the strength, discipline, and quiet courage of India’s elite forces.

 

For photographers, art is our weapon—
not to destroy,
but to preserve, uplift, and inspire.

That belief gave birth to what would later become the NSG Calendar and the Mumbai Police Calendar—visual tributes created with intent, respect, and responsibility.

 

 

 

 

More Than a Calendar

For us—Pravin Talan and Rupali Talan—this journey was never limited to creating a calendar.

It began as a belief and evolved into a commitment:
that India’s defence forces and Central Armed Police Forces deserve the same visual strength, credibility, and contemporary language that global agencies use to represent their elite units.

We live in a digital age where perception matters.
Across the world, imagery is not just documentation—it is psychological presence. It communicates preparedness, confidence, and deterrence.

When we introduced this idea in India, it was unfamiliar.

Convincing institutions was not easy. Trust had to be earned—slowly. In the early years, we invested our own time, resources, and effort, often shooting without commercial consideration, driven purely by conviction. We believed that if the work was honest and world-class, it would eventually speak for itself.

 

https://www.instagram.com/pravintalan/?hl=en

 

 

The NSG Calendar: A Visual Record of Capability

 

The NSG, established in 1984 as a Federal Contingency Force, represents the pinnacle of India’s counter-terror capability—drawing its strength from the Army, Police, and CAPFs. Over the decades, it has evolved into a highly specialised, technologically advanced force, operating across land, air, and water.

 

Every year, the NSG Calendar features 16 carefully curated images—each one chosen to reflect the breadth of operational capability rather than spectacle.

Urban and metro interventions.
Airborne insertions.
Inland water and riverine operations.
Bomb disposal and post-blast investigation.
K9 assault and detection units.
Close Protection Force deployments.
Training environments that are rarely seen, yet critical.

This curation is deliberate. The intent is not drama, but understanding.

Even during the two years of the pandemic, the calendar released without interruption. By then, it had grown beyond print. Young Indians across the country began downloading the PDFs, creating posters and wallpapers, and pinning them up in their rooms.

 

The calendar had become an inspiration.

 

 

A Shared Journey

Rupali Talan remains, even today, among the very few women action photographers to have worked extensively with India’s forces—shooting in regions like Gadchiroli, long affected by Left-Wing Extremism, and Kashmir, where operational realities are complex and unforgiving.

https://www.instagram.com/rupali_talan/?hl=en

 

Together, we created, adapted, and innovated—bringing global visual sensibilities into a space that had rarely been photographed with such intent.

Beyond photography, we are filmmakers at heart. Over the years, our work has expanded into cinematic documentaries and docu-series, allowing deeper, more immersive storytelling around elite units, training, and preparedness. More recently, our experiments in vertical storytelling have shown that even emerging formats can carry cinematic depth when approached with seriousness and craft.

 

While we are widely known for our work in fashion, lifestyle, and advertising, this body of work has always been something more than a profession.

 

For over a decade now, it has been a cause.

 

 

Why This Matters

 

That conviction traces back to 26/11. Or even perhaps earlier when as a kid living in Agra Cantonment area  ,I would see para commandos running across our house in early morning hours , shadow boxing , rolling on the roads and it was fascinating to the heroes up, close & personal. 

 

As Mumbaikars, we saw what happens when terror comes home—and how courage responds. That moment became a personal turning point. 

 

These heroes, who ask for no recognition, deserve to be seen, respected, and understood—not just within the country, but globally.

 

The question that continues to guide our work remains simple:

Why should Indian youth look outward for posters and stories of international special forces,
when the finest among them stand right here at home?

If inspiration was missing, it was never because of capability—
it was because of representation.

 

 

 

 

 

Looking Ahead

 

As we look to the future, our focus is clear. It was always clear.

We will continue to move deeper into cinematic films, long-form documentaries, and high-impact web content centred on India’s elite forces—carrying forward the same intent, respect, and responsibility that shaped the very first calendar in 2016. 

 

Though our work with special forces had started much earlier in different formats. 
 

The journey continues.
Not as a project.
But as a promise.

As an adventure.