Correspodent, Asian Age, November 20, 2010
A photography exhibition, “Raja Deen Dayal: The Studio Archives from the IGNCA Collection”, showcasing a cross-section of the 19th century photographer’s reflection on India’s cultural heritage got underway at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in the city from Friday.
The three-month long exhibition delves into the early 19th century lifestyle and is of immense interest for those interested in photography, said IGNCA member-secretary Jyotindra Jain. The photographs showcased in the exhibition highlight the streets of Calcutta, Lucknow and Karnataka’s Bijapur and Gulbarga areas in black and white shades besides capturing various historical monuments like the Falaknuma Palace, Mr Jain said. Working amidst several accomplished European and Indian photographers in the second half of the nineteenth century, Raja Deen Dayal distinguished himself as a photographer of great technical skill and aesthetic merit. He received patronage both of the British government and nobility as well as the Indian princes.
About 200 photographs from the photographer’s archives, culled out from glass plate negatives preserved since 1989 with the IGNCA, have been put on display at the exhibition.
For scholars, a slide show of about 3,000 photographs taken by the photographer Raja Deen Dayal is also part of the exhibition.