The making of a nation, through Sunil Janah’s eyes

After Sunil Janah moved to the US in his later days, these prints were mostly forgotten. Rahman says it is by another coincidence that they landed in India as a collector managed to buy some of them. “The timing of the exhibition coincides with the 75th anniversary of Independence. At a time when the BJP is trying to demolish Nehru’s legacy and spreading the narrative of ‘Make In India’, Janah’s works assume significance as the ‘Make In India’ started in the 1950s. That is why it is so important that people see these pictures. We should not forget this history and the BJP is trying to make us forget it.” Apart from their historical significance, these are stunning images, says Rahman. “That was a time of great hope. Now, we have a different view about industries. We perceive industries as polluting, but at that time we needed all these factories because we needed indigenous manufacturing. Also, they provided jobs to lakhs of people, particularly in backward areas. There was a great positive energy which actually can be felt in Janah’s photographs.”

Capitol Studios, Connaught Place, Delhi | Ram Rahman 1986

Photographer, artist, curator, designer, and activist Ram Rahman initially studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Later, Rahman completed a degree in Graphic Design from Yale University’s School of Art in 1979. Born in 1955, Rahman has shown his photographs in individual and group shows in India and around the world. His most recent shows include at The Pompidou Centre, Paris, 2017, Houston Fotofest, 2018, Gwangju Biennale, 2018 and the Chennai PhotoBiennale 2019.‘Bioscope: Scenes from an Eventful Life’presented by Bodhi Art at Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, in 2008.

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