People, culture, religion: this photography exhibition captures a broad slice of Indian life
In this photo essay, we feature outstanding photographs by Raghu Rai, from the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.
Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 770 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.
The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in Saket, New Delhi, is wrapping up a four-month exhibition of Raghu Rai, titled A Thousand Lives: Photographs from 1965-2005. Rai is a critically-acclaimed photographer, photojournalist and author.
Going through the exhibition is like travelling through a time-tunnel of Indian history, and also experiencing a masterclass on the art and science of photography. See our earlier coverage of KNMA exhibitions here.
The black-and-white images from the ‘analog’ era capture scenes through the mists of time, and reflect the aesthetics and techniques of the pre-digital years. The current exhibition focuses on Rai’s black-and-white collected works.
KNMA has been pioneering shows on modern and contemporary South Asian art since 2010, and has galleries in New Delhi and Noida. It also runs educational and public-focused programmes and brings out a series of publications.
The museum has an in-house collection of more than 10,000 artworks. Its activities are spearheaded by philanthropist Kiran Nadar and supported by the Shiv Nadar Foundation. In 2025, KNMA plans to open its new standalone museum building.
Curated by Roobina Karode, the current exhibition features Raghu Rai, who was born in what is now Pakistan. He studied civil engineering before switching to photography. He was at The Statesman newspaper, Sunday news magazine, and Magnum Photos.
Rai was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972 for his work on the liberation war of Bangladesh and its refugees. Other prestigious awards would come his way from the French government as well.
His works have been exhibited across India and overseas–in Spain, Australia, France, Italy, Netherlands, and Finland. He is currently based in Delhi. In Part II of this photo essay, we will feature insights from Rai and Karode.
From religion and politics to landscapes and daily life, Rai’s camera seems to have covered it all. The photographs are inspiring and endearing in the way that they capture scenes as living theatre.
Now what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and harness your creative side for a better world?
(All photographs were taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at the exhibition.)
Edited by Swetha Kannan
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