About Book
Since then, he hasA ever stopped shooting them in concerts, in their homes, with their gurus, and in special locations.Rai profiles only thirteen masters the greatest of the great nayak musicians who went much beyond their gharanas and broke new ground with their approach to music. They include Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Mallikarjun Mansur, Kumar Gandharva, S. Balchander, Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain, Vilayat Khan, Bismillah Khan, Kishori Amonkar, Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Bhimsen Joshi. Eight of these masters have passed away, so these portraits in turn affectionate, intense, playful, and reverent will remain their definitive ones, a precious and unsurpassable record of Indian musical heritage.Only a true rasik like Rai could have taken these pictures, for they required someone who possessed not only an understanding of classical music but also complete humility. Both aspects are evident in the extraordinary images that follow.The book is accompanied by a perceptive text written by noted writer and music expert Ashok Vajpeyi, chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi.
His profiles of these musicians show what makes them great, alongside giving us remarkable snapshots of their lives, on and off the stage. A fonder photographic tribute to the custodians of Indian classical music could not have been possible. This is undoubtedly a collector's edition.
About Author
Raghu Rai's interest in music began as a child, when he wanted to be a musician. That was not to be, but his interest in classical music deepened in the mid-1960s, when he became a photojournalist. However, it was only in the mid-1980s, as photo editor of India Today magazine, that he started a systematic exploration of classical music an obsession that continues to this day.A trailblazer, Rai has covered many social, political and cultural themes, and his photo essays have appeared in the worlds leading magazines and newspapers, including Time, Life, National Geographic and the New York Times.Along the way, Rai has authored over twenty books, including The Sikhs, Calcutta, Taj Mahal, India and Mother Teresa - Faith and Compassion, and his work has been exhibited in many major cities of the world. Winner of the Padma Shri and the Officier des Arts et des Lettres, Rai is an associate of Magnum Photos. He lives in New Delhi with his family. Ashok Vajpeyi, a Hindi poet-critic, translator, editor and culture-activist, is widely recognized as an outstanding promoter of culture and an innovative institution-builder. He has authored over twenty books on poetry, criticism and art, including two on Sayed Haider Raza. Editor of many prestigious journals and a prominent public intellectual, Vajpeyi has lectured widely abroad.Vajpeyi set up the renowned multi-arts centre Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal and has been the first vice-chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University. Winner of the Sahitya Akademi award, the Kabir Samman and the Officier des Arts et des Lettres, Vajpeyi is presently chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.