“Photographs give us a world that exists halfway between fact and fiction.”
Not all stories are told through words. In this age of absolute visual bombardment, there lies a greater need to take a step back and familiarise ourselves with true works of art, sans Instagram filters. A photography book is a work of art in itself. The turn of each page unravels another piece of the visual narrative that’s strung together to tell a story.
From Indian royalty to conflict-ridden Kashmir, we’ve curated a list of incredible Indian photography books that gently tilt your head to look at the country in a way you haven’t before, then hit you square in the chest with the sheer visceral impact of its imagery. If you’re thinking of investing in one or two for your own home, look no further than this compilation.
[The following list is in no order of preference, read the first volume of this series here]
I. Maharanis: Women of Royal India published by Tasveer in collaboration with Mapin
When we think back to India’s Royals, we often recollect the eccentricities of the Maharaja’s and the kingdom’s they ruled. Maharanis: Women of Royal India gives us a glimpse behind the purdah of royal women who for a long time remained mysteries to the public, confined to performing their limited public roles.
These are photographs taken at a time when the medium was slowly rising to replace the traditional painted portraits of the royal families. Not just that, but when more and more women were leaving behind the confines of their four walls, shedding past rules of high society and actively entering the national political and cultural spheres. This was a complex time; India was transitioning and these changes are evident in their own way through these photographs and accompanying four essays.
You can purchase the book and read more about it here.
II. India’s Disappearing Railways: A Photographic Journey by Angus McDonald
Australian photographer Angus McDonald’s photo-essay made its mark as the first physical, print documentations of India’s vast railway network, more so the narrow-gauge, in all their glory. Train journeys, in a way, uphold a sense of India’s diversity – travellers from every corner of the country are clubbed together in this microcosm. Through McDonald’s work you learn about the lives of the people who travel the trains, work on them and live around them.
Photographed over five years, the book was made more poignant as it was released posthumously, edited by his wife Catherine Anderson.
“After years living and working in India I wanted to gather a set of photos that would summarise many of the things I admire about this country: its tolerance, its diversity, its beauty,” he wrote. “I chose these trains because they are a metaphor for all these qualities.”
You can read more about the book and purchase it here.
III. Edge of Faith by Prabuddha Dasgupta
Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961, but the legacy and impact the colonisers had was never completely shaken off. To put it simply, Edge of Faith chronicles the Goan Catholic community, at least on the surface when you first open the book. But as you turn each page, read the accompanying text by William Dalrymple, you’re witness to a community caught in between; in a state of limbo. You see the struggle of every person and every place Prabuddha photographed – between loyalty to their historical past and customs, and it’s post-independence identity. While some manage to mingle the two with ease, others continue to be torn between the Portuguese past and their Indian present, and future.
IV. UNSUNG - Extraordinary Lives by Mahesh Bhatt
Mahesh Bhatt’s UNSUNG is a tribute and celebration of the many unknown, unheard of and unsung heroes across the country. These are ordinary people doing extraordinary things, on their own. Often on the sidelines, sidestepping the spotlight, seven unsung heroes are featured in this book, put together by Bhatt in collaboration with some of India’s top photographers as well as essays by seminal personalities such as Geshe Dorji Damdul, Director of Tibet House in New Delhi, and social activist Madhu Malhotra.
Read more about the first volume and purchase the second on their website.
V. Witness: Kashmir 1986-2016 edited by Sanjay Kak
When we think of Kashmir there are always two extreme images that come to mind – the idyllic beauty of the landscapes or the conflict and violence. But it’s not either/or for the residents of the region.
Edited by documentary filmmaker Sanjay Kak, Witness is not simply just a photo book. With 200 images photographed over three decades by nine photographers, this book strings together many sides of the Kashmiri reality. You see the many facets of what this incredibly fraught terrain has become over the years – from its beautiful landscapes to the stone pelters, presence of Indian armed forces and militancy.
You can purchase the book here.
VI. Time & Tide by Karan Kapoor
In Time & Tide, Kapoor points his lens at the dwindling number of Anglo-Indians who were left in India and their rich cultural heritage that dates back centuries. They lived in that strange state of suspension between two worlds — India and her colonial master, and they never felt completely welcome in either.
Featuring original texts by William Dalrymple and Felicity Kendal, the photographs were taken in Mumbai, Kolkata and Goa, and were published by Tasveer in conjunction with a travelling exhibition of the same.
You can read more about his work and purchase the book here.
VII. Myself Mona Ahmed by Dayanita Singh
World-renowned photographer Dayanita Singh’s Myself Mona Ahmed is a bold, empathetic glimpse into the life of Mona Ahmed, who belongs to one of India’s many visible-yet-ignored communities, the eunuchs. Feared by some and revered by others for their supposed mysticism throughout Indian history, it would be unfair to say that they haven’t been documented sensitively through various mediums in recent times. Yet none cut quite as deep as Singh’s poignant portrayal of Mona over the course of so many years, parallel to their deepening relationship.
VIII. Posing for Posterity: Royal Indian Portraits by Pramod Kumar KG
Posing for Posterity is an important documentation of the arrival and rise of photography, as a medium, in India. Published by Roli Books, the book is a kind of time capsule, strange to look through at times, as decked-up Indian royals pose in their Sunday best and are recorded for posterity or self aggrandizement. Photography at this time caused ripples between patrons and painters, as many chose the new medium over traditional miniatures. You get a blast of the glorious past but also a peek into the manner in which Indian royals were carefully manicured and presented to the public.
Purchase the book here.
SPECIAL MENTION
IX. Khmer Din by Ronny Sen
“Khmer Din is a visual representation of my disconnected memories,” writes Sen in the introduction his photobook which gets a special mention on our list due to it being shot outside the country, in Cambodia. Nevertheless, once seen, it’s hard to get these photographs out of your head. His first book was exhibited at the IPA Photo Books Show 2013, and it was self-published in limited editions. Ronny Sen had no pre-meditated schedules when he went to Cambodia and started exploring the beautiful city of Siem Reap, but as he rode his bicycle down its streets at night, he found himself desperate to photograph. He kept taking photographs of whatever he encountered on the streets.
These hauntings beautiful monochrome images need to be seen, you can read more about it on Sen’s website.
X. The Last of the Tattooed Headhunters: The Konyaks by Phejin Konyak & Peter Bos
The Konyak tribe of Northeast India were once feared as barbaric headhunters, covered head to toe in tattoos, with human skulls as accessories to symbolise their bravery and warrior status. This was a long time ago, over the years the rich culture and traditions of the Konyaks are fading away and no one knew it better than Phejin Konyak, the great granddaughter of a tattooed headhunter and warrior, Ahon Konya.
She travelled to the various villages occupied by the last remaining ‘traditional’ Konyaks along with photographer Peter Bos to document, in photographs and text, the communities oral traditions, customs, rituals, lore and everything in between before it is lost in the archives of Indian history. It’s all given a touch of the personal as Phejin pens the book as tribute to her great grandfather, his legacy as well as her mixed feelings about it.
Feature image © Karan Kapoor; Andheri, Bombay; Silver gelatin print; 1981 Courtesy Tasveer
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