Light of the Ganga

A recent exhibition of photographs by two Europeans who travelled by road all the way to India in the 1930s introduced viewers to a page from cultural interchange in pre-Independence India. Brinda Dasgupta reports

India has fascinated the West for centuries. While Albert Einstein credited the country for having taught the rest of the world to count, Mark Twain thought it to be “the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition.”

Little wonder then that, way back in 1932, Frenchman Alain Danielou and his Swiss partner Raymond Burnier drove through Afghanistan to India on a discovery trail. Later, India was to become their home as both immersed themselves in the culture and literature of the land. Their travels and dedication to the country were chronicled in Lights of the Ganga , a photography exhibition, recently held at the Rabindranath Tagore Centre (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) in Kolkata.

Danielou and Burnier lived in Varanasi, the town that Twain described as being “older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend.” There they rented an old palace, Rewa Kothi, on the Assi Ghat. With the help of Indian pundits, Danielou began studying Sanskrit, Hindi, religious text and philosophy.

Danielou’s and Burnier’s photographs capture the old-world charm of Varanasi –the temples, the masseurs, the street scenes on the bank of the Ganga. These are remarkable for their artistic quality and the black & white tone stand out to define the culture and aestheticism that mark this ancient town. Some of the portraits are very rare, including the one of a young Pandit Ravi Shankar playing the trumpet.
While Burnier generally used a Leica, Danielou preferred a Rolliflex. Even their style and subject matters were different. Burnier photographed monuments, temples and sculptures, while Danielou was more concerned with local scenes and the local population, particularly dancers, musicians, and their instruments. Between them, they created a repertoire of photographs of motifs, sculptures, figures, and structures that is exhaustive in its vastness and stunning in its style.
Says Samuel Berthet, curator of the exhibition and an Indo-French cultural relations historian, “Burnier’s vision brought the fairies and goddesses of Hindu medieval art back to life, while Danielou’s vision was more informative, a perspective from an anthropological point of view. Danielou’s insistence on subtle harmony and his highlighting of plastic beauty, along with Burnier’s celebrated style, make these photographs one of the most celebrated collections on India.”

The duo’s travels were not confined to Varanasi, however. Says Reba Som, director, Rabindranath Tagore Centre, “Many are not aware that Danielou and Burnier were received warmly at Santiniketan by Tagore himself and that a deep friendship of sorts developed. In many ways, it was a meeting of minds, especially between Danielou and Tagore.”

Danielou had translated 18 of Tagore’s songs into English and French, and the two of them were to find in each other a spirit of kinship. Tagore trusted Danielou for his unconventional and free spirit, and Danielou appreciated the poet’s quick eye that detected and encouraged young talent.

Burnier passed away in 1968, and Danielou in 1994. Nevertheless, their legacy lives on, in the form of these photographs, and in the form of various books and records. Their constant reaching out to Indian culture, along with their staunch disapproval of the racial segregation imposed on India during the colonial rule, perhaps leads us to believe that not only were they questioning their own culture and rediscovering another in the process, but they were also giving voice and expression to the same.

It was also clear from the exhibition and other records that music was the food of love for Danielou. Says Som, “Danielou was a great musician, and in fact, Tagore had asked Danielou to head the music department at Visva Bharati, an offer that the Frenchman refused. He felt that musicians carry culture and civilization in their most essential and refined form, while helping to promote diversity and universality.”

Danielou’s passion for music led him to master the rudra veena, under the tutelage of Sivendranath Basu. Later, he went on to translate Sanskrit texts on the theory of music and studied the oral tradition of the Santhals, the Carnatic musical system, and the vocal tradition of the Dhrupad.

So what could have attracted the talented pair to get so attached to India ? Was it the mysticism and exoticism associated with the Orient? Berthet feels that it is natural to project one’s one visions and fantasies onto another country, to be emancipated from the social constraints of one’s own land: “Going into a different country, a different culture – gives one a different way of thinking, a larger perspective. Things appear in a much newer light, with their own logic.”

Danielou’s constant thirst for knowledge, and his irreverent attitude towards established schools of thought, earned him the reputation of a great philosopher and Sanskrit scholar.

The photographs were also displayed at Kala Bhavan in Varanasi, and the exhibits will go to Dhaka, Chittagong, and Delhi next.