JOIN USFor a common man, a divine moment would mean being in a house of worship, seeing God or experiencing His presence. For a photographer, though, a divine moment translates into that perfect moment which tells a story, which transcends the past, present and future, and allows him to take a shot.
One of modern India’s most celebrated photographers Padamshri Raghu Rai is exhibiting some such ‘divine’ pictures, taken by him across India over the past many decades, titled ‘Divine moments.’
70-year-old Raghu is exhibiting his work in Delhi after a gap of almost two years. His last exhibitions were on Mother Teresa and classical musicians of India.
Shalini Gupta, Founder-director of Tasveer, which is exhibiting his work this time, says, “We started our first season with Raghu Rai five years ago and had been in talks with him for another exhibit. It goes without saying that he is a marvellous photographer.
Lensmen like him, who work with international photo agencies like Magnum, choose to explore the world on their photography assignments. Raghu, though, has deliberately remained focused on the universality of Indian life and its many cultures.”
“He walks among the people, on the streets as silently as possible, recording historical events, capturing beautiful landscapes and above all - freezing fleeting private encounters which would, otherwise, go unrecorded. Through his huge body of street photography, he has paid a homage to India, and through this exhibit, we are paying a tribute to him.”
The photographs are no doubt classical. The picture of small idols of goddess Durga and Saraswati on a river bank with a widowed woman and a large tree watching them, seems like a still straight out of a Satyajit Ray movie. A shot of a life-size statue of Lord Ganesha being carried by thousands of men, with an overcast sky in the background, reflects the enormity of Ganpati celebrations in Mumbai.
A tea-vendor hangs out of a Delhi-Mumbai train with his tray and one wonders how Raghu managed to click him; while the picture of two old men in Old Delhi, one seemingly rich and the other poor, betrays the ultimate truth of life – that aging and death are true for all.
Raghu tells us, “I worked as a photographer for news publications (Statesman and Sunday) for many years. While shooting for them, I realised that news pictures are so transient. Their shelf-life is only a few hours or a day at the best. Editorial pictures die a daily death and the efforts of a photographer go waste with them.”
“I realised that I needed to create something more powerful, timeless which can be seen, interpreted and re-interpreted over many years to come.
“There should be magic in them, capturing the essence of life and our times. Hence, I travelled and travelled the length of our country and took these shots. If they tell you a story, I’ll know my work is done.”
The exhibition is on at The Stainless Gallery, Mathura Road, till September 25 from
11 am to 7 pm.