Raghubir Singh had a very difficult job in capturing the reality of post colonial India at the time that these pictures were taken. There were so many different aspects of the post-colonial Indian life that he could have taken photographs of, but he chose this certain selection of photographs. By choosing these specific photographs, he shows his audience the impoverished side of India as well as the side that is thriving and enjoying things in their small villages. Singh made it point to photograph and show us both sides of life in India to give us a well rounded perspective of what life in truly like in that part of the world.
In his exhibit, Singh successfully uses contrast to capture the reality of life in post colonial India. In one photograph in the exhibit, Singh captured a group of older men sitting on the ground in the middle of a small village eating popsicles. The men had the biggest smiles on their faces as they sat in the street and enjoyed their sweet treats. This showed the happy and enjoyable side of life in India. These men might be sitting in a dirt road but they are enjoying this small thing in life and are happy. Singh contrasts this photograph by displaying a different image of an extremely malnourished, scrawny cow in the middle of a dried up field in his exhibit. In this photograph Singh shows up the impoverished struggling side of India. The animals that the citizens of India probably use of food and drink are extremely malnourished and skinny. This cow probably has not eaten for weeks because there is no food or water for the people to eat or drink, much less to give it to the animals. This extreme contrast in the portrayal of life in India at this time is used all throughout Singh’s exhibit to shows how people truly live in this part of the world. It shows that depending on what part of India you are shown through photographs, you can draw a totally different conclusion about how life was like in post colonial India.
Singh also used an extreme contrast in colors in his exhibit to show the reality of life in India. This color contrast is prevalent in all of his photographs throughout the exhibit. So many of the photographs are full of color and depict celebrations in these small Indian villages. But, so many of the photographs are also very bland in color and showcase the brown sand which shows us the dryness of the Indian landscape. The colors of Singh’s exhibits are extremely important to the message he is trying to portray through his work. Singh uses so many different techniques in his photograph that all allow for him to show his audience the reality of life in post-colonial India.
I love your incorporation of “contrast.” I totally agree! As I viewed each photo I also saw the repetitive theme of contrast. I especially loved your observation of the contrast of colors. It was almost a light and dark situation. The scene may seem bright, but the reality may be dark. I also observed how there was a clear contrast of times in each photo showing the modernization of India post-colonization while still maintaining ancient infrastructures and other traditional aspects. Great work!
Hello! The idea of showing two sides of India is something that I really appreciated within Singh’s work. You commented on how he displayed the impoverished side of India as well as the side that was thriving with modernization, which I found very interesting. I really liked your interpretation on the colors as well, I feel like I only noticed the vibrancy of some of his photographs, and didn’t consider that the photos that were more bland in comparison could be seen as symbolism for the less cultivating parts of India. Overall, great job!