Customer Reviews

River of Colour: The India of Raghubir Singh

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If you have ever been to India, or have ever wished in your mind's eye to go there, this is the book for you. Singh's legacy is to offer captivating images. Even my five year old daughter will sit and look at each image for the longest time, and think of what is seen -- just like a visit to India itself!

Ragubir Singh's India is poignant,stark, vital and alive. His photographs of everyday life in India are glimpses into the soul of all strata of Indian life. Whether seeing a mother and child, two little girls who are best friends, or the incredible paradox a rich man and his luxury car juxtaposed to the glaring,overwhelming poverty and human suffering, one can't help but be deeply moved and touched by the vibrant movement flowing through each and every image in this visual journey to the real India.

India is a difficult country to understand and even more difficult to explain, in words or pictures! Rughubir Singh has captured the chaos of India which take you right into the bylanes of Varanasi/Banaras. This is my favourite(infact the only picture book) gift to a lot of my western friends, most of whom have visited India before. The pictures are simply too powerful. If you have any facination for that land, you cant afford not to have a look at Mr. Singh's pictures.

I've recently been to this wonderful country called India and this book brought all the memories back again: the bright colours, the light, the buzzing and chaos of the cities, the amazing eyes of the Indian people, even the smells of the country... I was deeply moved by Singh's photographs and his talent to capture these unforgettable moments.

Now I only have one desire: to go back to India!!!

I first bought this book in its paperback edition... I was so taken by the photographs that on learning that Phaidon was re-releasing the book, I gave my pbk copy to an Indian friend of mine (who loves it, as it reminds him of home). Looking forward to the re-release of this book, I was eagerly looking for it to become available.

The re-release arrived just the other day. I can say that the photos are just as moving, heart-melting, and colorful as the original copy. HOWEVER, Amazon's "shrink-wraping process" ruined the cover of the book, and many of the pages of the book.

So, I paid full Amazon price for the book, but were I to try to re-sell it, it would be "damaged."

To say that I'm a little piss#d is an understatement.

It _is_ a beautiful book, with a wonderful overview of Singh's work - my favorites are the boys diving from the tops of submerged temples on a flooded Ganges, and a pic of a muscician from Tamil Nadu...

I just wish the condition of the book were better.

I was given this book (softcover edition) by a friend some years ago, and it has resonated with me as one of the finest compilations of documentary photography on India. Raghubir Singh's photograph captures moments in the lives of ordinary Indians, in a way that is without a doubt timeless. This book is a collection of his best works from his many years of photography in India and it's simply a marvel, especially for anyone who has a special interest in India or comes from India, who can really appreciate the imagery.

I hands down recommend this book to anyone and everyone and always show it off to friends. Try and get some of his other works as well - Bombay, The Grand Trunk Road, Kerala, Banares, Kashmir, if you can find them. You will be equally impressed.

Raghubir Singh's River of Colour is a book that beautiful in many ways. Not only was he a very talented photographer, he also brings out a tremendous sense of patriotism with his book. His photographs capture the essence of Indian culture.

Raghubir Singh was born in India and began his photography career in 1965 - but until this collection, very few of his works reached audiences outside the country. RIVER OF COLOUR: THE INDIA OF RAGHUBIR SINGH uses a wide-angle panoramic layout which will prove a shelving challenge to most art library collections - but a delight to any who seek fine display materials. It's the only retrospective of Singh's works and by choosing an elongated, oversized display format, the color photos of Indian topics come to life and nearly spring off the page. RIVER OF COLOUR is recommended not just for art photography libraries, but for any collection strong on India history or culture.