India’s Great Masters – A photographic journey into the heart of classical music
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, AllaRakha, Zakir Hussain, Vilayat Khan, Bismillah Khan, KishoriAmonkar, 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.
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Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia in practice, 1988
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Veena Maestro S. Balachander at Mahabalipuram, 1988
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Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, 1986
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Pt. Ravi Shankar, 1986
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Pt. Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, 1986
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Pt. Ravi Shankar and Ustad Zakkir Hussain, 1987
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Zubin Mehta with Pt. Ravi Shankar, 1988
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Pt. Ravi Shankar with his daughter Anoushka, 1988
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Pt. Ravi Shankar at a concert, 1988
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Pt. Ravi Shankar in Varanasi, 1986
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Ustad Ali Akbar Khan at his home, 1986
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Vocalist M. S. Subbulaxmi, 1987
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M. S. Subbulaxmi in a concert, 1988
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M.S. Subbulaxmi at Satya Sai Baba ashram, 1987
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M. S. Subbulaxmi after performance, 1990
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M.S. Subbulaxmi at Satya Sai Baba ashram, 1987
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Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, 1988
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Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur in conversation, 1988
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Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur in his village, 1989
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Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, 1991
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Pt. Kumar Gandharva at his residence in Dewas, 1986
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Pt. Kumar Gandharva at his residence in Dewas, 1986
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Pt. S. Balachander at Mahablipuram, 1988
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Pt. S. Balachander at Mahablipuram, 1988
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Pt. S. Balachander in practice, 1984
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Ustad Allah Rakha and Zakkir Husain at home, Mumbai, 1989
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Ustad Allah Rakha and Zakkir Husain, 1989
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Ustad Allah Rakha and Zakkir Husain, 1989
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Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, 1989
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Tabla Maestro Ustad Allah Rakha, 1989
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Ustad Vilayat Khan performing in a concert, 1988
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Ustad Vilayat Khan performing in a concert, 1988
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Ustad Bismillah Khan, 1986
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Ustad Bismillah Khan at his home in Varanasi, 1986
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Ustad Bismillah Khan at dargah in Varanasi, 1986
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Ustad Bismillah Khan at his home, 1986
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Ustad Bismillah Khan performing in a concert, 1988
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Vocalist Kishori Amonkar, 1996
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Pt.Hariprasad Chaurasia, 1990
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Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia in a concert, Mumbai, 1990
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Pt. Bhimsen Joshi with his Mercedes, 1988
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Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, 1988
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Amjad Ali Khan at Red Fort, 1986
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Pt. Kishan Ji Maharaj, 1986
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Behind Red Fort, 1986
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Flute player, Varanasi, 2002