Evening Ragas: A Photographer in India

by Derry Moore

This is a magnificent portrait of post-Raj India before the modern world swept across the subcontinent. Featuring 100 superbly reproduced, full-page photographs, this is Derry Moore's splendid photographic evocation of an independent India that had all but vanished by the late 1970s—above all, an India still untouched by mass tourism. Initially, Moore set out to photograph the princely palaces, but he became increasingly intrigued by the lesser-known buildings, and those that inhabited them. In them, he found eccentricity, originality, and an extraordinary hybrid of Indian and British taste.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Gruia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unstructured look into the architectural influence of the British in India, adjoined by some moody captions of nature, people and large vistas.

The most relevant part is the 20 page intro which explains the setting and provides a bit of historical background. Overall, a wondrous inkling into one aspect of Indian culture.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Photographic evocation of India after Independence but before the modern world had swept the subcontinent. Portraits of the old aristocracy, dark, ornate interiors, and palatial ruins. I would have liked more photographs of the "other" India.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Derry Moore's photography of post-Raj India captures a decay that is at once somber and beautiful. That the portraits are candid, the shots of the dilapidated palaces are haunting in the absolute best sense of the term, and the overall portrayal of a fleeting epoch in India's past -- all make this book a joy to read.