Raghubir Singh was able to capture a side of India that many people do not get to see. As noted in the biography, he was keen on using color to express India. This made me convinced that his photographs contained more studium and punctum than Sternberger’s exhibit. Singh expressed that he believed color was more effective than the black and white “visions” that Americans usually have. I absolutely agree with Singh. As I walked around the exhibit I thought it was interesting how he split it between different aspects such as Bombay and the Ganges. I have not seen an exhibit centered on different parts of one country. Singh was able to give the viewers a taste of the subcontinent as a whole. This exhibit is also unique, because Singh did not sugarcoat the story of the Indian people. He captured the lion symbol from the British Raj in one of his images. He also showed a man living in a literal box. This image displayed to me the hardship and poverty that these people faced during and after the regime of brutality that the British imposed on them. Despite this pain and stain in their history, there were many pictures displaying joy and happiness. One section that intrigued me more than others was the concept of the “Ambassador’s car”. This automobile in the exhibit was that built in India and recreated from a British model. This stuck out to me, because my country, Mali, faced similar struggles during imperialism from the “Race for Africa” era. Mali was under French rule, but was not stripped of its culture. We make our own merchandise (but we still need to import a lot), there is still the dominant religion of Islam, and we have our traditional clothing and language of Bambara. Also, the French did not alter most of our names hence my last name still being from the rich Malian history. This idea of the ambassador car carrying strong and important figures from something made in their own country and not that of their oppressor deeply moved me. It frustrates me that my country is rich in resources such as a gold and salt, but we are still exploited. However, my people are still happy people. This relates to the Indian people Singh portrayed, and I am sure it can be a related sentiment to many people who were oppressed by Europeans. I truly enjoyed watching Singh capture the culture and the subtle rebellion in post-colonial India. I think Singh accurately portrayed reality, because he portrayed the good and the bad as well as the presence of religion and how it pushes the people of India to be their best selves.
– MARIE TRAORE
I am really intrigued by your idea that color was very important to Singh’s exhibit. I also touched on this idea in my blog assignment so I totally agree with your statements. Singh’s portrayal of dirt and color in India really showed the contrast of life in India and allowed for him to get his message of the reality of life in India across.