8 16 May 2020I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113
Phaidon,£29.95,paperback, 208 pages,
ISBN: 9781-8386-6025-3★★★★★
India
Steve McCurry
Oneoftheworld’s
mostrenowned
photographerspresents
astunningvolumeof
imagestakenacrossthe
Indiansubcontinent,as
Amy Davies finds out
BOOK
I
t’sprettymucha giventhatyou’llbe
familiarwithat leastsomeof world-
famousphotographerSteveMcCurry’s
work.But,he’llsurelybepleasedforyou
to realisethathisworkstretchesfarbeyond
thosefewstrikingimagesforwhichhehas
becomesocloselyassociatedwith.
Indiabringstogether 150 photographs,
includingsomeof McCurry’sbestknownof the
region.Remarkableimageryof extraordinary
eventsandbackdropssitssidebysidewith
capturesof everydaylife.
Incredibly,McCurryhasmadesome 80 trips
toIndiasincehisfirstvisitin 1978.He,like
manyotherphotographers,considersit tobea
paradiseforimage-makers,witha hugewealth
of colour,cultureandextremecontrasts,
includingthosebetweenIndia’srichandpoor.
It’ssafetosaythatthisbookrepresentsa
genuinepanoramaof a countrythatis rifewith
opposites.McCurrycapturesboththe‘Bombay
elite’andthe‘Mumbaislumdogs’.A good
example are the photographs of Harshvardhan
Singh,thesonof theMaharawalof Dungarpur,
whichareshownalongsideimagesof women
washingclothesin theYamunaRiver.
There’salsocoverageof thevastnumberof
differentfaithsfoundin thecountry,including
Hindudevoteesimmersingstatuesof Ganesh
in theseaoffChowpattybeach,Sikhspraying
at theGoldenTemple,andof thegardenin
BodhGaya– a placeof pilgrimagebelieved to
bewhereLordBuddhaachieved
enlightenment.
A photographof a Buddhistmonkin Bihar
takenin 2000illustratesanotherof India’s
contradictions– consumerismontherisein
oneof themostspiritualplacesontheplanet.
In thiscollectionyou’llseeconflictsalongside
vanishingcultures.Forthosewitha loveof this
beautiful,vibrantcountryandof collecting
booksbythegreatestandmostwell-known
photographersof ourgeneration,this
gorgeouslycraftedbookis a masterclassin
travelphotographyanddefinitely worthy of a
space on your shelf.
West Bengal, 1983. Bicycles hang on the side of a train
ALL IMAGES © STEVE MCCURRY
