Images That Click

[lakhvir]

BOOK-REVIEW

-----------------

Images That Click

Roopinder Singh

The Golden Temple: A Gift to Humanity 

by Vijay N. Shankaran and Ranvir Bhatnagar.

Photographs by S. Paul and Dheeraj Paul.

Ranvir Bhatnager Publications, Gurgaon. Pages 176. Rs 2,895.

-----------------

This coffee-table book is lavishly produced, and has pictures by two of the best photographers in India—S. Paul, a former Chief Photographer of Indian Express, and his son, Dheeraj. One of the most clicked shrines in the country comes alive in its varied hues, as these lensmen bring the life at the Golden Temple to the fore. Tens of thousands of people visit the Golden Temple every day and the book manages to capture them all: pilgrims, visitors, granthis, sewadars, children, newly-weds, as they all come together to pray at the most important gurdwara.

It is a colourful world that unfolds through these pictures. Though most photographs deserve a mention, S. Paul’s available light image of the recitation of Guru Granth Sahib is weak, especially since it comes from someone who is known for his technical wizardry. Paul is the elder brother of Raghu Rai, who had earlier collaborated with Patwant Singh to bring a book titled The Golden Temple. Both are different works, and stand well against each other.

The text offers a brief history and touches upon various reasons why people go to the Golden Temple. The chapters dwell on Grant Every Sikh a Bath in the Sarovar, Spiritual Offerings for Modern Man, Gurparab of the Holy Guru Granth Sahib, Night of Living Divinity in Harimandir Sahib, The Wonderful Ath-Sath Teerth, Kirtan Rescues Man from Clutches of Time.

Various vignettes of life at the shrine are also discussed, including The Ragis, The Beri Trees, The New Gold Leaf and Environs of the Temple. The overall feeling of the text is one of devotion, but not of order. There is a lot in it, but it could have been better put and more organised. There is a chapter on Etc TV channel, which broadcasts live from the Golden Temple every day.

Translation is a tricky business, in which one has to go beyond the literal meaning. To take one example, translating akhand path as uninterrupted recitation is not a happy expression; continuous recitation would have been better. But then, who reads coffee-table books? The visual content is strong, though it is expensively served

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050206/spectrum/book1.htm