Merely by the mention of his name, the first image that instantly flashes of Raghu Rai in the mind is that of a tall, dark man with a perpendicular frame slightly leaning forward with his stylish camera hung over his left shoulder. Cut to an autumn evening in October 2010 in Kolkata, the illustrious photographer of international repute sits on his desk on the spacious white-marbled floors of the heritage Harrington Street Arts Centre gallery in an unmistakably mellow mood. From under his hat, the 68-year-old photographer casts his bespectacled eyes on the newspaper kept on the table and scans it carefully. No undue fidgets and no fretful worries to stalk him at this hour. But he has one single preoccupation and that is his twin exhibitions ensuing on the same day at the heart of the culture capital.
While the Harrington Mansion’s art hub displays an array of 60 black-and-white snapshots interspersed with a couple of colourful snatches, the neighbouring culture-complex of the Central Government administered ICCR (Rabindranath Tagore Centre in Bengal) plays host to a vivid showcase of 40 vignettes revolving around Mother Teresa’s life and works. The ICCR gallery splurge will continue to draw droves of aficionados till October 30.
Titled Calcutta, Kolkata: It Never Begins, It Never Ends, the exhibition at the Harrington House unfolds a kaleidoscopic view of the cityscape of Kolkata and will remain open till November 13.
Simplicity is the middle name of this low-profile artiste. And he personifies the virtue quite casually. Learning lessons from life’s experiences, Rai roots for humility over hubris. “It’s a killer disease, more poisonous than any fatal malady to me. So get rid of that pride and prejudice for good,” is his cautioning advice.
Paying tribute to Kolkata one more time, Rai reminds us that his tryst with the city has been on more than one occasion. “I have been frequently enticed to go on a clicking mode while ambling around the city,” he says. Presented by noted art curator Ina Puri, the series of evocative duotone prints deftly seizes myriad moments from the hustle-bustle of street life, the animated lanes coming alive with its slum urchins, stray dogs, speeding vehicles, the vintage pockets caught in a time-warp, banks of the Hooghly River, shanty dwellers performing their morning rituals a few metres away from the lofty Howrah Bridge, bathing ghats, sergeant manning roads and traffic snarls, et al.
The collection also takes a sneak peek at clay images of deities from under the city’s cramped Kumartuli shades. “This is to be in sync with the imminent Puja season,” he said reassuringly. “Look, I’m not a celebrity in the city. So, I don’t need to shield my eyes behind the dark shades when I am here. I can comfortably meander into the crowd and stand the heat, inhaling the dust and grime in the air around,” he confesses with a tone of sarcasm. This apart, the famous faces of Kolkata ranging from Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Mahasweta Devi to Aparna Sen and Moonmoon Sen have been mounted up for a grand display.
Coming to his oeuvre on the divine saint — Mother Teresa at the adjoining ICCR edifice, Rai confirms: “The Unesco was organising a show on Mother at Delhi’s Visual Arts Gallery (India Habitat Centre) as part of her centennial year commemoration. So I asked why not arrange a similar show in her hometown as well. Thus, this exhibition fell on Kolkata’s calendar.”
Working on Mother intermittently prodded Rai to compile a series of books that was published subsequently in 1971, 1996 and last in 2004. Ask the master shutterbug to reminisce his first meeting with Mother and he says it was magical! “I first met her in the 1970s. During one of my seminal photojournalistic stints in Kolkata, I got a call from Desmond Doig, who ran the then Junior Statesman magazine, suggesting me to come and see a person. I arrived and he accompanied me to her place. Mother was seated in her modest 10/10 office on a chair with a small table attached to it. The room was scantily furnished due to lack of space. Suddenly I watched three sisters immersed in their prayers from above the window with a curtain hanging below. I spontaneously knelt down on the floor and started clicking their pictures. Noticing my audacity, Mother grew furious and enquired about my impermissible actions. It was an endearing snub though. Checking myself immediately, I told her politely, Mother, aren’t they looking like angels? And she beamed with a gleam on her face.” he says.
After this memorable maiden encounter, Rai continued to seek access to Mother’s Missionaries of Charity premises in Kolkata and photographed her and her community of sisters from time to time. A symbol of love, compassion, tolerance and maternal instincts, Mother was however initially resistant to be convinced to allow an outsider into her privacy, notes Rai. “She always shied away from the glare of publicity but if she discovered a sense of diligence and dedication devoted towards one’s assigned project, she would then let that person his deserving space. She would tell me holding my hand, ‘The way I’m committed to my serious service to mankind, God has given you this task to perform. So, you should carry it out with utmost integrity.’ I would never forget those golden words she had uttered to me during our course of interaction. Her benevolence and blessings over my head have ever since kept me glued to my work even when the going got really tough at times. Hence, when I find the chips are down, I quickly rejuvenate myself with her morally inspiring maxims,” says the maestro of photography. Amen!