Raghu Rai and his ways of seeing

An exhibit of 40 years of Raghu Rai's analogue photography captures his multilayered look at India

- Vangmayi Parakala

A recurring thought when Raghu Rai reflects on photography and his six decades of practice, is that of seeing god.

Bhagwan toh kabhi bhi darshan de sakte hain na, woh aapke assignments pe thodi baith ke intezaar kar rahe hain (God can present himself anytime, he does not wait to do so over an assignment), he says, when disagreeing with the way many photojournalists tend to work today. When explaining why he, at 81, still keeps a camera on him at all times, he says: Kya pata bhagwan kahan baithein hain? Okay, let's try a different track. His secret to a good shot? Invest your body and soul into it, he says. "It's like what they say, kan kan mein bhagwan hain (god is in every cell)". Again. "What it really means is that you cannot ignore anything," he says. "There is something about everything if you can connect with that, toh tab darshan hoga (that's when you see god)".