Ancient Monuments Of India - Snaps

In the series of posts, covering the various facets of the photography of the legendary photographer of the British times, Raja Deen Dayal, I am posting a few pictures of monuments.  All the credit of the pics is to IGNCA, the organisation which showcased the exhibition of these old pictures.Also see this and this too.

"With in-born love for his country Raja Deen Dayal travelled extensively. He toured the country by rail and bullock-cart, taking along mounds of photographic paraphernalia from stacks of heavy glass-plates to bulky cameras. Academic training in draughtsmanship and his own painterly vision enabled him to bring out amazing depths, details and breath-taking widths with large uniform areas of sharpness and highly accentuated perspectives.

He photographed ancient monuments, archaeological sites, places of worship, forts, palaces and their interiors, townscapes, forests and rivers, leaving behind vital historical and cultural documentation."  IGNCA

I wish, I had captured the write up about these wonder photographs, then I would have been in a position to tell something about the places.... It seems I was so mesmerised that I didn't think about it at that time! Only the last pic shows "Street view of Hyderabad".

Enjoy!

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Portraits Of Women - Of Elegance & Beauty

Raja Deen Dayal, the legendary photographer of the British era, whose work was showcased in an exhibition at IGNCA New Delhi, specialized in portraits. 

Recently, I visited National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.  I was amazed to see the collection there, it truly shows how the ways and mediums of art, especially paintings, changed over a period of time starting from pre-independence era to the current times.  Will try to write and put some pictures  too.

But, the point i wanted to make was that even there I read about the special mention about Raja Deen Dayal.  The info over there read that he was one of the most famous photographers who worked with British Govt and Indian Govt too.  Also, that he specialized in portraits.  So, I thought of posting the various portraits of women, I had captured in the exhibition at IGNCA.  Due credit of the pictures to the curators of IGNCA.



A British woman.  See the matching umbrella and the hat kept on one side. 

 

The portraits of a Nautch girl.  See the saree worn by such a young girl.

Does it not remind you of the himachali dress people used to wear and pose when visiting any place in HImachal Pradesh of India??!

  

There is something about this picture, which you cannot miss.  The serenity... and the beauty 

See the attire of the girl... and her inability to 'pose' in some way or the other.  But she looks very pretty.



I specially liked this picture.  She looks like an Indian princess.  The way the saree is worn, the jewellery etc makes her look very very elegant and in authority!  See the placement of the side stool, with a table cloth and some books kept casually over it!  Was it to show that the lady was well read?

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The Men And The Shikaar



Can you locate the man sitting in this picture of so many tiger skins??



The pictures tell the horrifying tales of shikaar ie., hunting of wild animals (here tiger) enjoyed as a hobby or pass time by Britishers and the Nawabs of British Era of India.  How can someone derive pleasure by killing another living being, just for fun?

Pic credit - Raja Deen Dayal Photo Exhibition, IGNCA, New Delhi

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Of Power, Women and Booze

I found this picture to be a shocker.... well not really as we have known about women's exploitation through books etc.... but knowing something and seeing something are two different things.

This is not a photograph of some movie of the times of Nawabs... this is the real picture clicked in a photo studio of Raja Deen Dayal, the photographer.... This is the picture of power.

I wrote about the pic of  a nautch girl in this post... and promised to post something which will make you sit up and think.

The presence of girls (understandably nautch girls or prostitutes) and the bottle of some hard liquor makes a statement, when it's clicked in a photo studio.  It's a statement of power.  And why I say so, is because of the helpless expressions the girls have on their face. The attire, the sherwani, the head gear (pagdi) and the mustache of the men surrounding the girls, one of them holding one girl, gazing at her as if he is looking at an object of desire says it all....

This was a shocker for me.... I stood still for some time.... feeling the helplessness of the girls sitting there.

Pic courtesy here. (Raja Deen Dayal Photo exhibition : IGNCA)

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Portrait of a Nautch Girl by Raja Deen Dayal

This photograph by Raja Deen Dayal is a stunner! See this for pic credit.

A plethora of emotions churned within me seeing this picture.  First, the terrific looks, the confidence, the posture - again confident and relaxed.  The magnificent effect of the monochromatic picture moved me.

If you see it properly, the face of the girl shows she is very young, may be 14 or 15 years old.  NOW, the write up next to the picture (which I did not click) said, she was a 'Natch girl' which means, that she was a professional dancer.... and I guess many things are said and unsaid here.... 

After I had gotten over the magnetic appeal of this picture, a thought strung me badly.  Girls her age, were not educated, and the families traditionally into this profession would encourage their daughters to take up the profession of a dancer, no choice here.  Thinking about the exploitation they must have suffered at that time, pained me.

And to prove the point, another picture waited for me. it said it all, I'll be posting it next.

Be there.

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The Prince In Palanquin - by Raja Deen Dayal

I found this picture really intersting.  Also the write up about the picture was equally intersting... see the use of word 'palanquin' derived from the Hindi word 'Palki'.

Photo credit : Raja Deen Dayal photo exhibition, IGNCA New Delhi

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