With the greats of Indian classical music, even the most complicated of thoughts are uttered in a simple and down to earth manner. The classical music masters were looking for the divine and the great photojournalist Raghu Rai was looking to picture their soul through his lens for his book India?s Great Masters by Raghu Rai (ISBN-13: 9788172239466). That pretty much explains the process through which this book got its present shape. The great classical musicians tell us about the concept of the true note, a stage that can be reached only by the most dedicated.

Seeking The True Note

The photojournalist Raghu Rai who has himself has been awarded by French award Officier des Arts et des Lettres and Padma Shri, was humility personified when he was trying to capture the classical greats in their various spiritual moods. In 1998, when Raghu Rai went to California to meet the Sarod player Ali Akbar Khan, he asked Ustad to perform where a soundproof room was being constructed. Ustad replied by saying he will perform when he attains true notes.

Music Is For Upliftment

Inspired by such events, Raghu Rai went on to continue his mission to photograph the musical greats from all over India and the illustrious names included, Bismillah Khan, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Ravi Shankar and Bhimsen Joshi (all Bharat Ratnas). The precious photographs have now been published into a book called, ?India?s Great Masters: A Photographic Journey into the Heart of Classical Music?. The famous Sitar player Vilayat Khan once said the classical music was not meant for entertainment, rather it was for upliftment. The portraits of Raghu Rai depict these famous classical music exponents into meditation and the stage of ecstatic release.

Raghu Rai Himself Wanted To Be A Musician

His father had nothing but contempt for the musicians. The dreams of Raghu Rai died a quick death, only to be revived later as a desire to chronicle the classical greats as they invoked the divinity through their music. The passion was always there, and the first salary of Raghu Rai was spent on a record player. The profile of every maestro chronicled by Raghu Rai is written by Ashok Vajpayee. The 13 masters covered by Raghu Rai?s pictures are: Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, Vilayat Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Kumar Gandharva, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Mallikarjun Mansur, S. Balchander, Alla Rakha, Bismillah Khan, Kishori Amonkar, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Bhimsen Joshi.

Fly On The Wall Style

The way Raghu Rai took his pictures also speaks volumes about his personality and his non intrusive style. The pictures were only taken after the Ustaads were immersed in the music for hours. The painful and euphoric climax comes only then, says Raghu Rai.