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