THE EPOCH OF STUDIO CRAFT
Photographs by Darshan Gandotra / Regal Photo Flash Studio
THE EPOCH OF STUDIO CRAFT
Photographs by Darshan Gandotra / Regal Photo Flash Studio
A Dissertation Project By Rohini Bharti
This dissertation is an academic project for the National Institute of Design Author: Rohini Bharti Course: M.Des Photography Design Batch: 2017 Guide: Rishi Singhal, Amarnath Praful Copyright Š 2019 Rohini Bharti All rights reserved
“In our response to photographs . . . the desire for knowledge and the sense of beauty interpenetrate one another. Often photographs radiate beauty because they satisfy that desire. Moreover, in satisfying it by penetrating unknown celestial spaces and the recesses of matter, they afford glimpses of designs beautiful in their own right.� - Siegfried Kracauer
Preface This project is a manifestation of the obsolete analogue studio photography practice that was present till late 80s in Jammu, India. It traces the history of studio photography in the Indian subcontinent and its transition from the colonial era to the digital era and how these old photography studios were affected and transformed with the changing technology. The dissertation introduces the archive of 120mm black and white studio portraits that were made by Darshan Gandotra. He was a local photographer from the region of Jammu and Kashmir and established one of the earliest photography studios there, Regal Photo Flash. These photographs were majorly made in the time period of 1965 to 1970. There are single, couple and family portraits. The images shows how silver screen stars had a great influence on the way people wanted to be represented in the images. There are portraits which were made for the purpose of showing it to the families of the suitable marriage prospects. The portraits were also made for future memorialisation; like portraits of married couples, friends, families, parents with children and many portraits of children alone. There are portraits of newly married couples along with long married couples which seem to celebrate their union of matrimony. Then, there are images of military men as a lot of military was present in Jammu and Kashmir even at that time. There are also photographs of documents and already existing photographs for remaking them into new ones. The projects also includes the images taken by Darshan Gandotra of photographers and studios’ fronts in 1970s that were part of the photography union of Jammu. During the analog era, the studio photographers had earned a lot of recognition for their craft of making a photographic visual. The main reason for existence of these old studios was the aspiration of people to have their portraits made and these studios were the only way for them to ever have a photographic image of themselves. But soon, with the advancement in technology, the artistry of these studios didn’t remain viable anymore and they had to shift towards digital photography. It marked the end of the practice of analog photography in these studios. With cellphone photography and availability of affordable cameras, these studios lost their exclusivity. A lot of old studios had to shut down due to loss in business. This project is an effort for the preservation of these photographs as they are the references of a bygone era. They are evidences of an outdated visual form.
Contents Introduction Photographic Space
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Evolution of Photography Studios in India
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A Glance at Jammu’s History
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Studio Photography in Jammu
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The Studio: Regal Photo Flash Studios’ Fronts Portraits of Photographers
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The Studio Portraits Cinematic Pose Kashmir Ki Kali Military Men Commemorating the Bond Families and Children Frame in a Frame
32 34 76 84 92 108 122
Final Note
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Acknowledgement
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Bibliography
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Fig. 1. Julia Margaret Cameron “Sadness”- Ellen Terry (1864) J. Paul Getty Museum
Introduction Photographs lure a desire to capture moments that hold personal significance, generally of loved ones, family, friends and self. This fascination to record and hold dear memories is something that has been present throughout the history of mankind. We have attempted to record ourselves and others by the best means available; cave drawings, hieroglyphics, paintings, sculpture, and in the past two centuries, through photography. While modern cellphone cameras and prolific social media venues have made portrait making and sharing an almost trivial undertaking today, the easy access to portraits of friends, family, and self we enjoy is the result of years of technical and aesthetic development in the field of photography. Photography emerged in the beginning of the 19th century, and it was seen as means of capturing reality as it was. Walter Benjamin in his essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1935)� stated that photography freed the hand of a man, since now the eye was responsible for creation of the image of what was already there. Before the advent of photography it was prohibitively expensive for the average person to have a portrait made. The rare skills of the artist making the portrait, the free time required for the subject to sit for the portrait, and the relatively long time required to complete it combined to limit portrait subjects to those with considerable wealth and/or social status. But with the invention of photography in 1839, a photographic portrait could be made in a much quicker timeframe than a painted portrait and at a much lower cost. But photography was still a relatively expensive proposition at that time. As portraits still remained precious and rare investments, many people expected to have only one portrait ever made in their lives. In two hundred years, photography practices have changed significantly and arguably, the main shift has been from analogue to digital photography in the 1990s. In times of analogue photography, personal photography was first and foremost used as means for autobiographical remembering. The family photo albums were used to construct narratives using photographs as real representations of memories. The earliest studio photography made use of painters’ lighting techniques to create photographic portraits. The primary source of light for painters was a large window or skylight facing north, usually above and to one side of the subject.
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Artists such as Rembrandt1 were effectively using controlled lighting (by using groups of candles in the studio) as early as the 17th century. These lighting techniques were an influence on photographers from around the middle of the 19th century. A good example of this approach was Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879). She was a pioneering portrait photographer who applied principles of fine art to photography using controlled available light in a studio, in a similar way to a painter. This was groundbreaking at the time. Advances in camera lenses and the development of faster film speeds and better lighting meant that studio photography became easier to achieve. Glass plates were replaced by celluloid films and the quality became better and better. In the modern day photography, when camera has found its place in various devices and the development of technologies is ongoing and rapid, photography is ubiquitous. The image has lost its value, since even the photo streams such as Flickr reinforce the flux of thousands of images, which are not meant to last for a long time. People constantly take photos and upload them on Instagram, Facebook or any other social network platforms. The continuous development of these applications has made this process of dissemination of images very appealing. Camera as a singular object, has started to diminish, since camera is now built in mobile phones and other smart technologies.
Fig. 2. Lala Deen Dayal Albert Abid (c.1900) Courtesy Narendra Luther
1 Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), in full Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was a Dutch Baroque painter and printmaker, one of the greatest storytellers in the history of art, possessing an exceptional ability to render people in their various moods and dramatic guises.
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Photographic Space The struggle for identity, culture or nation is a struggle inscribed in space. Space gives rise to the manner in which this struggle is experienced. The camera is a framing device that produces space. The camera lens defines the photographic space and bestows value upon all that is included through the viewfinder. In the 19th century, the British took the camera to colonial outposts and used photography as a tool to document the foreign land and people, and themselves. The colonial photography was perceived as a factual representation of the world and persuaded the viewers to consume the reality of the image. The colonisers extensively photographed the colonised ‘others’ and circulated them to confer their primitive status, while portrait photographs of British colonials were made as an evidence of European society’s advanced status. Even though the practice of studio photography in the 19th century is highly questionable, allowing the subject’s participation in the creation of photographic space sabotaged the power traditionally wrested by the photographer. It promotes an understanding of photographic space as produced not just by the photographer, but also by the sitters with the adopted poses, gestures and ornamentation. The way photographic space of the studio was used to make portraits, was inspired by the western painting conventions. Usually portraits were constructed with single point perspective, keeping the subject in the centre, which is a characteristic feature of western visual aesthetics. According to this method of spatial representation, space is constructed so that the body forms the focal point. The subjects usually sat or stood in full or three-quarter length favouring the frontality of the body and face so as to give meaning to the body housed by the frame. Poses like man standing with a foot forward with a slightly angled body and one arm either resting on a chair or positioned across the body were implemented on Victorian portraiture to signal the strength and authority of men. Artificial lights were also used to enable light and shade to play upon the body. In a portrait of Albert Abid by Deen Dayal, c.1900 (fig. 2.), studio light falls from the upper right corner creating shadows across the body. This adds a tonal quality which gives a three dimensional appearance and firmly grounds the man in the space of the studio. These effects of deception were used to convince the viewer of the reality of the image before them.
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Fig. 3. Bourne and Shepherd His Highness, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II (Jodhpur, 1877) Photo Courtesy MAP / Tasveer
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Evolution of Photography Studios in India Soon after the Daguerreotype1 was invented by Louis Daguerre in 1844 in France, the cameras were advertised in Calcutta. As photography was practiced in the west, it soon came to India through the British and was used to document places and people. Indian photographers initiated studio photography business since 1840s, when they were employed in the studios of the British commercial photographers. However,the first Indian photography studio known to be formally established dates back to early 1860s. The ‘Shepherd and Robertson’ studio was the first studio, established in the city of TajMahal – Agra – in 1862 by Charles Shepherd and Arthur Robertson. However, it soon moved to Shimla where it became a part of the Bourne and Shepherd’ group in 1863 (India Books, 2010). Besides all these, foreigners were a host of Indian photographers who distinguished themselves and opened flourishing studios throughout India. Between 1840 to 1900, there were more than 70 studios in Bombay and about 40 in Calcutta as well as many located in other cities like Delhi, Hyderabad and Agra. At the turn of the 20th century, an increasingly commercial demand for portrait photography led to the opening of studios in major Indian cities. This translated into different stylistic conventions such as the use of elaborate Victorian-style indoor props, ornate wooden stools, painted curtain drapes in an attempt to emulate a European environment. In the mid-twentieth century, the practice of photography underwent dynamic changes. The Freedom Movement and later the Partition left the country with unstable political and economic conditions. These circumstances struck the photography business, just like it struck many other industries at that time. Import of equipment and major developments in this field depended widely on the West. But Indians still possessed the knowledge and gears which were left behind by the British photographers. People, who were kept as assistants by the British, began to set up their own commercial firms. Soon studio photography business began to spread to every small city and town. Moreover, the glamour of Indian cinema had attracted a large number of young Indians to be educated about camera and films. Celebrities from the Indian film industry acted as a catalyst in the growth of this trade. With the shift from film to digital in photography, these old studios lost their erstwhile forte, and most of them were slowly edged out.
1 The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process (1839-1860) in the history of photography. Named after the inventor, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre, each daguerreotype is a unique image on a silvered copper plate.
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Fig. 4. Samuel Bourne Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Ranbir Singh (1877)
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A Glance at Jammu’s History The winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu lies on the bank of Tawi river. It is also regarded as the city of temples because of its numerous ancient temples and hindu shrines. The city of Jammu is named after Jambu Lochan, the brother of Bahu, a powerful local chieftain who ruled during the ninth century. It is believed by the locals that on becoming king, Jambu Lochan went on a hunt and while crossing the river Tawi, he found a deer and a tiger drinking water from the same tank. His ministers explained that this meant that the soil of the place was so virtuous that no living creature bore enmity against another. Raja Jambu Lochan decided to build his capital, Jambupura, on this soil, on the right bank of the Tawi overlooking his brother King Bahu’s fort. Jambupura later came to be known as Jammu. Through the middle ages, Jammu prospered. Changes of rule at Delhi or Lahore passed over without disturbing the affluence of the town. The fertile cultivable land around the town constantly generated wealth and unlike many medieval towns, Jammu was never depopulated. The town was also a major stopover for caravans on the trade routes to Kashmir, Asia Minor1 and beyond and was a base for the fabled Silk Route2. Jammu & Kashmir, which was earlier under the rule of Hindus and Muslims, came under the rule of Mughals under Emperor Akbar. After the period of Afghan rule from 1756, it was annexed to the Sikh kingdom of the Punjab in 1819. In 1846, Maharaja Ranjit Singh handed over the territory of Jammu to Maharaja Gulab Singh (the Dogra ruler) and, Jammu and Kashmir came into being as a single political and geographical entity following the Treaty of Amritsar between the British Government and Gulab Singh signed on March 16, 1846. Since then, the state remained under the Dogra rule till the time India gained independence. At the time of independence in 1947, like all the other princely states, Jammu and Kashmir was also given the option of either joining India or Pakistan. However, the-then ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh decided not to exercise the option immediately but had to sign the instrument of accession when Pakistan attacked the territory later the same year. This resulted in a territorial conflict between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region which has escalated into three wars between
1 Asia Minor, also known as Anatolia, Asian Turkey, the Anatolian peninsula or the Anatolian plateau, is the westernmost protrusion of Asia, which makes up the majority of modern-day Turkey. 2 The Silk Route was a historic trade route that dated from the second century B.C. until the 14th century A.D. It stretched from Asia to the Mediterranean, traversing China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greece, and Italy. It was dubbed the Silk Route because of the heavy silk trading that took place during that period. In addition to silk, the route facilitated the trade of other fabrics, spices, grains, fruits and vegetables, animal hides, wood and metal work, precious stones, and other items of value.
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Fig. 5. Georges Devred Hari Singh, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir (1931) The last Dogra ruler
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the two countries since 1947. The dispute over the region has continued for more than six decades, at a huge cost. Since the 1989 insurgency – 42 years after the partition – it is estimated that the conflict has resulted in 70,000 deaths and 8,000 disappearances by the local human rights group, Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS). Today Kashmiris face life alongside a huge military presence and ongoing militia operations. Although a ceasefire agreement was made between India and Pakistan in 2003, and the 2000s saw internal violence largely give way to nonviolent protest, the calm is often punctuated by military and insurgent operations from both sides. Over the years, various United Nations delegations, foreign and internal governments have tried to mediate the issue unsuccessfully.
Fig. 6. Jawaharlal Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah at the Constituent Assembly Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
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Studio Photography in Jammu Jammu, which is known for its beautiful landscapes and presence in the sphere of arts; theatre, literature, music and paintings, the craft of earlier studio photography is totally unrecognised and unacknowledged today. Hence, there has been no effort to preserve this invalued visual form. People were always more inclined towards government jobs which provided stability and a steady income. Photography was not seen as a secure occupation but more like a hobby that one can have. Pre- independence, photography was limited to the elites of Jammu and Kashmir who used to call photographers from outside. It was only in the late 1950s that the photography was democratised in the region of Jammu and Kashmir with the establishment of local photography studios. Regal Photo Flash was one of the first photography studios in Jammu. Making photographs in the analog era was a work of craft which required laborious processes. But with the ubiquity of photography due to mobile phones and affordable digital cameras, the studio space has lost its purpose. It is now mainly used to take passport size digital photographs. As described by many studios in Jammu, the major source of income for them is marriage photography that doesn’t involve any engagement with the studio space. Most of the studios has put their studio spaces for other uses like displaying their merchandise and kept just a small corner large enough to take a passport photograph. While talking to the second generation, handling most of the surviving studios in Jammu right now, one can sense the frustration in their voices. The families of these photographers had been gravely affected with the downfall of the business whilst their fathers who were photographers still attempted to keep their studios operational. The value of craftsmanship had gone immensely down due to the evolving technology. The continuous change in technology and apparatuses needed constant investment and it resulted in very less profit out of the studio business. This also led several studios to shut down and start up with something new. The remaining studios had to struggle a lot to survive in the continuous modifying market because their expertise was of no use.
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Fig. 7. Darshan Gandotra Dr. Karan Singh (Son of Maharaja Hari Singh) with his wife Yasho Rajya Lakshmi (Kashmir, c.1970) Film Positive
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The Studio: Regal Photo Flash Regal Photo Flash was one of the earliest photo studios in the state of Jammu and Kashmir established by Darshan Gandotra. Born in 1942, he originally belonged to Reasi district of Jammu. His father owned two shops. As his father passed away when he was really young, he started living at his maternal grandparents’ home in Jammu with his mother and four siblings. His mother worked as a nurse in a hospital. He took admission in Ranbir Higher Secondary School in Jammu. He was inclined towards this unconventional photography practice at a very early stage of his life. There was no established photographer in Jammu at that time. The only photographers he had seen were the ones who would travel to Jammu and Kashmir for personal projects or when called by some elite families for their ceremonies. So he decided to go to Bombay to learn photography. But money was an issue as he belonged to a middle class family. As soon as he finished his 10th in 1958, he accumulated the required money for his Bombay trip by doing odd jobs and with family support. In Bombay, he learned about the technicalities and craft of photography including processing of films and photography prints by assisting various photographers. After coming back, he started practicing the acquired knowledge of photography by clicking photographs of his school friends with an old medium format camera that he got from Bombay. Then, after almost one and a half years, he got the studio space in Jammu on lease with the financial support of his elder brother. He went back to Bombay and got all the dark room apparatus and lights required to set up the studio, Regal Photo Flash, in 1960. This small studio is located in the midst of the rumpus Moti bazaar of old Jammu city and is currently run by Rajiv Gandotra, son of the founder Darshan Gandotra. Rajiv, who is a Block Development Officer (BDO) by profession, is not really keen on practicing photography himself. But he is still trying to keep running this family business after his father’s death in 2013 to keep his father’s legacy alive. Although, he has appointed two people to run the studio, in his free time, he would come and look after the studio business by himself. Rajiv says, “The new generation is not aware of my father’s artistry and the immense respect he had during his time. He was considered as the master of portraits in the region by many of his counterparts. He had a natural talent and precision in taking portraits of the people. His expertise had gained so much popularity that everyone wanted to be photographed by Bhau Darshan (as the locals used to call him).”
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Fig. 8. Darshan Gandotra Self Portrait (c.1960) 120mm Film Negative Regal Photo Flash Studio
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When the studio started, there was a sensation in the whole city of Jammu about this home-born photographer. During the initial years of the studio, Darshan was the sole person running all the operations. As the work demand increased, he started hiring people who were interested in learning photography, to help him with film-processing. New people kept coming over the years and eventually ended up setting their own studios. He was the president of the photography union of Jammu for a long while. So any dispute between any of the member studios was resolved by him and this made him a respectful individual among his fellow photographers. He kept going to Bombay almost every year or two to get new equipment. This also helped him to get new ideas by staying updated with the industry. Bollywood was the trend-setter for fashion. This photo studio fulfilled the aspiration of the people of Jammu region to be photographed in stylish Bollywood look. Photographs for matchmaking formed a significant chunk of the business till a decade or so ago. There was a time when families had to get a pretty picture of their daughter clicked for matrimony. There were no cameras at home, so the only resort were studios. After they got married, they would come to the studio for a couple photograph. The studio had formed bonds with the families. Many would want their children to be photographed. The workflow had boomed in 60s and 70s. Due to increased demand and tourism in Kashmir, he opened another studio in Pahalgam named as Bobby Studio in 1979. He would work in Pahalgam during the tourist season. Sometimes, he had to fly back and forth to Jammu on the same day due to work demand in both the places. Darshan was highly influenced by cinema. In his teenage years, he would go out with his friends to watch movies in the theatre. Dilip Kumar1 and Dev Anand2 were his favourite heroes of the silver screen. As reminisced by Rajiv, he was very passionate about taking his own portraits in dramatic poses which made him look like a badass. In one of the photographs (fig. 8.), he can be seen holding a glass in one hand and a liquor bottle in the other. The shift of photography from analog to digital made him lose interest in photography but he still continued it for the purpose of business. Darshan was operating the studio himself until his death in 2013.
1 Muhammad Yusuf Khan, (born 11 December 1922), known professionally as Dilip Kumar, is an Indian actor. He has been credited with bringing realism to film acting since his first film and is regarded as one of the greatest actors of world cinema. 2 Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (1923 – 2011), known as Dev Anand, was a noted Hindi film actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is considered as one of the greatest and most successful actors in the Bollywood film industry.
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Studios’ Fronts Darshan photographed the studios that existed in Jammu in 1970s. The small prints of them were recovered from a record register of the Jammu photography union by Rajiv Gandotra a few years back from his father’s documents. These photographs were taken by Darshan for the purpose of maintaining a record of the studios associated with the union back in 1970s.
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Fig. 10. Darshan Gandotra Jai Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 9. Darshan Gandotra Dev Electric Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 11. Darshan Gandotra Naveen Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 12. Darshan Gandotra Vikas Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 13. Darshan Gandotra Prem Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 14. Darshan Gandotra V.M. Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 15. Darshan Gandotra Ashok Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 16. Darshan Gandotra Raj Kamal Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 18. Darshan Gandotra Natraj Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 17. Darshan Gandotra Mela Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 19. Darshan Gandotra Amar Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 20. Darshan Gandotra Pashi Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 21. Darshan Gandotra Royal Photo Flash Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 22. Darshan Gandotra Maha Lakshmi Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 23. Darshan Gandotra Studio Life Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 24. Darshan Gandotra Tandon Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 25. Darshan Gandotra Kamal Studio Photographers (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 26. Darshan Gandotra Lalit Studio (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Por traits of Photographers Darshan also photographed the photographers in Jammu in order to keep a record of the members of the union back in 1970s. These portait photographs in the form of contact prints were also recovered a few years back by Rajiv Gandotra from the same record register of the Jammu photography union that had studios record. Unfortunately, the names of these photographers remain unknown as the record register was discarded while clearing out the old stuff that belonged to Darshan.
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Fig. 27. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 28. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 29. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 30. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 31. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 32. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 33. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 34. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 35. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 36. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 37. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 38. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 39. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 40. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 41. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 42. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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Fig. 44. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 43. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
Fig. 45. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of Photographer (Jammu, c.1970) Contact Print
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The Studio Portraits A few boxes and envelopes consisting studio portraits in the form of 120mm black and white film negatives, taken by Darshan Gandotra in the time period of 1965 - 1970, were acquired from Regal Photo Flash Studio. They had single, couple and family portraits. There were also a few photographs of documents and already existing photographs too. Some negatives were fixed with the paint to correct the exposure which could be seen like a green or red patch on them. All the negatives were in a really bad condition as they were kept inside the paper boxes or small envelopes that were stored in a wooden cabinet for almost 5 decades. In the process of looking at these negatives, I had to put aside several of them as they were completely destroyed due to oxidation of the paper boxes and negatives. It could be very easily assessed that the completely destroyed boxes were victim to insects’ attack. The humidity and temperature caused chemical deterioration and structural damage like cracked emulsions. Many negatives were found stuck together in huge bunches. The negatives were also affected by mold growth. After going through a lot of negatives, I managed to get around 400 reasonably fine negatives that could be archived. Almost all the black and white negatives were discarded from the studio storage after colour photography came into business. And the same followed for colour negatives after digital photography overtook it. Fortunately, some of the negative boxes were not thrown away like the others as the studio had forgotten about emptying a wooden cabinet in which they were kept, while getting rid of the other negatives. The found negatives were exposed on Agfa Super Pan 120mm film and Gaslight contact papers were used for making contact prints. All the chemicals, papers and film rolls were parceled up from Delhi to the studio. The portraits are made with subjects posing in a sitting position and a very few with standing pose. In many photographs, the subjects are made to tilt their faces and look away from the camera creating a dreamy effect in the portraits. Studio lights and equipment can be seen in some photographs, following a photographic language used by the photographers in other parts of India at that time. The studio provided props and dresses to the people for their photographs to come out better. A variety of different props such as eyewear, mens cravat and hats can be seen repeating in many of the men’s portraits. One can infer the influence of cinema in these portraits by the
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way people are styled and made to pose. Darshan was keen on experimenting with photography. One example of it would be a portrait where his hands can be seen holding a cutout of a man’s photograph from his neck. Looking at the man’s expressions in the photo, one can sense that he is trying to choke that man (fig. 132.). The following pages include the archived images photographed by Darshan Gandotra in several different chapters.
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Cinematic Pose most enduring prop for the men customers. It was popularised by the iconic Dev Anand. Dev Anand was a style icon in the 50s and 60s who scripted a fashion statement with his scarves, mufflers and jackets and his signature puffed hair style. The actor was climbing the success ladder in 1960s, which is said to be one of the most fashion conscious periods in the recent history. His good looks enhanced by his wardrobe and on-screen portrayal of romantic image made female fans go crazy. This encouraged men to copy his style in a pursuit to look as stylish as him. Other influential actors of that time were Dharmendra, Shammi Kapoor and Manoj Kumar to name a few. When it comes to female actresses, Saira Banu was the most influential fashion icon of the 60s. Her stunning eye makeup and glamorous hairdos made her the ultimate style queen of Bollywood. Also, Sadhana’s figure hugging suit, Hema Malini’s polka dots, Mumtaz’s dewy glow and draped sari style and Sharmila Tagore’s winged eyeliner are some of the style inspirations that can be spotted in many of the photographs of women subjects.
Post-Independence was the time of a newly independent, newly integrated and newly awakened India; an India no longer only of farms and villages, but of industries and cities too, where a distinct urban identity was forming. It was also the golden era of Indian Cinema which lasted for almost 2 decades. After the long struggle for independence, the audience found its solace in the romantic and heroic genres of cinema. Bollywood stars became the trend-setters as the silver screen was the only source of reference for fashion to everyone. Most people fancied these film stars. The actors portraying the heroic and romantic characters on the celluloid became the influential personalities in the lives of the general public. In the 60s, there were several famous actors that enjoyed huge fan-following and people would try to imitate their style and look. So, Regal Photo Flash studio provided a variety of props to the customers like eyewear, mens cravat, blazer, hat, etc. to accentuate their looks. These props were mostly inspired by the looks of Bollywood stars as customers would aspire to look similar to them. Hats were the
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Fig. 46. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 47. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 48. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 49. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 50. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 51. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 52. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 53. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 54. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 55. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 56. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 57. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 58. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 59. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 60. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 61. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 62. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 63. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 64. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 65. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 66. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 67. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 68. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 69. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 70. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 71. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 72. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 73. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 74. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 75. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 76. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 77. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 78. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 79. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 80. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 81. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 82. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 83. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 84. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 85. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 86. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Kashmir ki Kali While both the respective regions of Jammu and Kashmir were part of the same state, there was always a certain romanticization of Kashmir and Bollywood also had a big role in constituting that persona of it. Movies like Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) had created the image of a Kashmiri woman corresponding to desired beauty. Shammi Kapoor1 singing the song on a shikara in the midst of breathtaking Dal Lake “tareef karun kya uski jisne tumhein banaya” which translates as-I can’t praise enough the one who created a beauty like you, for Sharmila Tagore2 who played the role of a Kashmiri girl, was simply mesmerising for the audience. Kashmiri dress was an exotic attire for everyone for its beautiful embroidery and extravagant jewellery and the fact that it
belonged to a place known as “the paradise on earth”. Even women from Jammu had a desire for getting themselves photographed in the Kashmiri look. So, some studios had sourced the Kashmiri costumes and jewellery for both men and women as it was a good source of revenue. They had written it outside the studios facade to let people know that they have the Kashmiri dress available. One such banners read, “Get your pose in Kashmiri dress.” This encouraged tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir to go to these studios specifically for getting a souvenir photograph in Kashmiri costume. Although, they had Kashmiri costumes for both the genders, it were the women to be mostly photographed in it.
1 Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; 1931 – 2011) was an Indian film actor and director. He was a prominent lead actor in Hindi cinema from the mid-1950s until the early 1970s. 2 Sharmila Tagore (also known as Begum Ayesha Sultana Khan following conversion to Islam and marriage; born 8 December 1944) is an Indian film actress known for her works in Hindi and Bengali cinema. She was one of the highest paid actresses in 70s and also one of the iconic veteran actresses of Indian Cinema.
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Fig. 87. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait in Kahmiri Dress (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 88. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait in Kashmiri Dress (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 89. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait in Kashmiri Dress (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 90. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait in Kashmiri Dress (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 91. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait in Kashmiri Dress (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 92. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait in Kashmiri Dress (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 93. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait in Kashmiri Dress (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Military Men Being recruited in a defence force was a matter of pride for the citizenry. Majority of the youngsters in Jammu would opt to join the Indian Army as it provided good money and benefits for the middle class. Due to the conflict with Pakistan over the Kashmir region, a huge chunk of military and paramilitary forces resided in Jammu and Kashmir that provided a reasonable source of revenue for the photography studios. Some studios would also have banners like “approved army official photographer� as there was a huge market
of army customers. A lot of army personnel would come to the studios as they needed their photograph for official purposes and also, sometimes they would just want it to for themselves to honour their pride of being in the Army or for their families as they would stay away from home for most time of the year. Also, a lot of army personnel would lose their lives due to several minor and major wars with Pakistan and China. So, these photos would be for the families to remember the deceased ones.
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Fig. 94. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of a CRPF 1Personnel (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu 1 The Full form of CRPF is Central Reserve Police Force. CRPF is the largest Central Armed Police Forces in India and it functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India.
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Fig. 95. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of an Army Personnel (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 96. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of an Army Personnel (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 97. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of an Army Personnel (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 98. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of a CRPF Personnel (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 99. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of an Army Personnel (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 100. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of an Army Personnel (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Commemorating the Bond Married couples, friends, lovers or siblings would come together to the studios to get photographed to celebrate their union of brotherhood, love or matrimony. The friends or siblings posed sitting close to one another and sometimes, with one hand on the shoulder. The portraits of friends solemnized their bond by staging their affection in front of the camera and that would remain in form of an image. Many a times, newly married would come to get themselves photographed to acknowledge their recent matrimonial unification or perhaps, because they couldn’t afford a photographer on their wedding day. In the married couple portraits, the wife is always sitting close in a frontal position to her husband, which makes the husband appear like a protector. Unlike
friends or siblings, the married couples wouldn’t pose with hands on the shoulders as the society of Jammu at that time did not favour public display of affection. The wives generally wore their jewellery as part of their shringar to look their best. In fig. 115., the wife is wearing a traditional Dogri style nath (a nose ring), that is worn by only married women on a special occasion. Interestingly, one of the photographs shows two women together posing intimately with one woman wearing a mens-suit and turban (fig. 111). Though, it is hard to tell the relationship between the two, the portrait is a rare example of cross gender roleplay in the-then conservative society of Jammu, especially for women.
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Fig. 101. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Husband and Wife (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 102. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Husband and Wife (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 103. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Husband and Wife (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 104. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait; Brotherhood (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 105. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait; Brotherhood (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 106. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Husband and Wife (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 107. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Husband and Wife (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 108. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Husband and Wife (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 109. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait; Brotherhood (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 110. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait; Sisterhood (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 111. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 112. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait; Brotherhood (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 113. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait; Brotherhood (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 114. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Husband and Wife (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 115. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Husband and Wife (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Families and Children And, of course, in the days when the childhood mortality rate was tragically high, it preserved their memory as insurance against a worst case scenario. Children were difficult subjects to photograph and so was a family. Also, the more the number of people, the more difficult it was to photograph. The photographer had to hold on to his sanity as grandchildren to grandparents are corralled into a line, all fussing and delaying as they fidget with their clothes and hair, and it would take comparatively a lot of time getting everyone to not blink for at least three seconds.
Family photographs expressed solidarity. It contained emotional, psychological, and affective qualities. The family photographs were preserved for posterity. Also, on the events of festivities like Eid, Raksha Bandhan or Diwali, customers would be driven to the studio to mark the special day with their loved ones. Children were also extensively photographed. The concept of childhood itself went hand in hand with the development of photography. Photography froze them in time, serving two distinct functions. First, it showed them as part of one big happy family.
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Fig. 116. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 117. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Parents and Child (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 118. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Three Siblings (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 119. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of an Infant (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 120. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of a Girl Child (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 121. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of a Family (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 122. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of a Family (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 123. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of a Child (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 124. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of a Girl and a Child (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 125. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of Parents and Child (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 126. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 127. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of a Boy Child (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 128. Darshan Gandotra Studio Portrait of a Boy Child (c.1970) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Frame in a Frame reason could be that the person was deceased and they wanted it as a funeral photograph or they liked the image so much that they wanted to have a fine print of it again. Darshan also experimented with the existing photographs by making photo-montages.
Photography was used as a medium to record important documents, letters, bills, cheques, vehicle number, etc. Photography served the purpose of today’s scanner. Also, some people would bring the old photographs to the studio to remake them into a new one because their former prints were in a bad condition. The
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Fig. 129. Darshan Gandotra Sales Tax Challan (c.1967) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 130. Darshan Gandotra Bill Receipt for Krishna Brothers, Udhampur (c.1967) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 131. Darshan Gandotra A Cheque of Rs 12600 (c.1967) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 132. Darshan Gandotra Photomontage; Choking a Man (c.1967) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 133. Darshan Gandotra Photomontage; Warrior (c.1967) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 134. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of a Portrait (c.1967) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 135. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of a Portrait (c.1967) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Fig. 136. Darshan Gandotra Portrait of a Portrait (c.1967) Regal Photo Flash Studio, Jammu
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Final Note The portraits made in the Regal Photo Flash studio have an intriguing quality. It took me into the flow of thoughts about the significance of these images and inspired me to know more about the subjects: What would they be doing for a living? What would be their aspirations? What struggles and joys would they have had in their respective lives? What would they be thinking at the moment they were photographed? Are they dead or still alive and how would they be now? It feels like every portrait is having a silent conversation with you. One also wonders how a photographer with such little exposure to the outside world had an inherent instinct for photography and the way he looked at studio space to make these portraiture documents for posterity. The portraits give us insights into the lives of the working class people of this particular geography and the factors that affected them. Cinema had a supremacy over influencing the photography as there were no photographers in the Jammu region to be influenced by. Also, there was very less photography literacy in the form of books, magazines, etc. His own inclination towards cinema had also impacted they way he photographed people. The studio was central to his practice of photography where people would come to get photographed, and the use of dresses and props to make people resemble the Bollywood heroes-and-heroines also shows his creativity as a stylist. The studio provided some exclusive garments to make the customers look good as not all of them could afford a good dress. Subjects’ attires and accessories are essential sources about the trends in the 60s. Some portraits also give us an idea of the social construct. For example, as explained by Rajiv, it was a taboo for an unmarried man and woman to be together unless they are siblings. Being part of the photography union of Jammu made Darshan reflect on his own profession as he was also photographing the architecture of the other studios and photographers of Jammu region. Rajiv mentioned that his father’s style statement was very captivating for the local people. There was a portrait of Darshan kept in the studio in the style of Dev Anand. For many decades, people who came to the studio, asked to have their portraits made in the same way. It would have been great if we had known about the backstories of these images to reflect more on the livelihood of the subjects. Though all the negatives that were made over the discourse of more than three decades were well archived in a storage unit of studio with client’s name, date and negative number, no information about them is available now as they were discarded after digital technology took over and the studio didn’t find any use of storing it anymore.
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Acknowledgement The success and completion of this dissertation required a lot of guidance and assistance from many people and I am extremely privileged to have got this all along the process. All that I have done is due to such supervision and support and I would not forget to thank them. I am extremely thankful to Rishi Singhal (Discipline lead, Photography Department, NID) for his guidance, encouragement and suggestions. I would also like to thank Amarnath Praful (Associate Faculty, Photography Department, NID) for his constant invaluable feedback for the project. I owe my deep gratitude to Rajiv Gandotra, the owner of Regal Photo Flash studio, for providing me access to his father’s photographs and extending his support throughout the journey of the project. Without his assistance and cooperation it would not have been possible to begin this project. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Monish Sharma, the owner of Swastik Digital Photo Lab studio, to help me locating the old photography studios in Jammu which helped me to start my research for the project. I am immensely grateful to my parents for their enthusiasm towards my project and providing me all the help that they could for the completion of this project. I am heartily thankful to my friends for their constant encouragement, love, faith and opinions.
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