MUMBAI
For Raghu Rai, Mumbai has been like a mini- New York – the business hub of an over-crowded nation; a cultural melting pot overflowing with job-seekers, dreamers and dynamic businessmen with a high level of energy almost always palpable in a city wrought with social, cultural, religious and political tensions; and a metropolis that, like Kolkata, had been photographed extensively since the 1850s by some of the finest photographers in the world.
The tragic 26/11 attack on Mumbai brought the historic city to the forefront of every Indian’s attention. As a befitting tribute to the city, Raghu Rai decided to put together a personal record of how it has spread its wings, tentacles and roots in every direction over the last few decades.
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Gateway of India and Taj Mahal Hotel from the hotel’s tower, 1970
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Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, 2010
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An acrobat performing on the maidan near Chowparty
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Poised on a footboard, a ride along the seafront
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A Parsi restaurant
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Writer Shobhaa De at her home, 2000
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Enjoying home-grown-merry-go-rounds on Marine Drive
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Late evening outside, The Taj Mahal Hotel and Gateway of India, 2006
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Reflection on a hotel window at Marine Drive, 2002
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Actor Kareena Kapoor getting ready for Priyadarshan’s film, Hulchul
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Spellbound by the scale and craftsmen-ship of the sculptures
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Church Gate Station, 1995
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Sahar slums, Santa Cruz Airport, 2004
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A view of the airport from Dharavi slums, 2004
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Participants of a vintage car rally at Kalaghoda
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Washing hung up to dry in Fishermen’s colony
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Building the flyover at Mahim
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Homeward bound at Dadabhai Naoroji Road, 2004
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Crowds at Chowparty Beach
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The blissful glow of sundown bouncing off the waters and faces
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Dusk on the seafront engulfs man and nature alike
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Marine Drive, 2009