Siddhartha Ghosh Interviews Sunil Janah: A Translation
Janah liked to show interior views of factories filled with the presence of workers and the visible buzz of activity, even if the drama suggested the endless repetition of alienated labour, like in this photograph taken at the assembly line in a Hindustan Automobile Factory, 1960. (Image courtesy of Chatterjee and Lal.)
The Bengali critic and historian of science and photography, Siddhartha Ghosh interviewed Sunil Janah on 23 March 1986. A transcript of the interview was then printed in Ghosh’s book Chhobi Tola: Bangalir Photography Chorcha (Taking Photographs: A History of Bengali Photographic Practices). Janah had moved out of India by then, living in London since 1980, and, subsequently, would move to the United States of America—where he lived until his death in 2012. A lifetime of photographing Indian personalities, spaces, buildings and social movements were largely behind him by then. “A chronicler of the ‘Nehruvian’ years,” as Ram Rahman described him in his obituary, Janah’s famous photographs encompassed a wide spectrum of realities that are easily obscured by pronouncements such as these. His early work and popularity was confirmed by his photographic images of the toll exacted by the Bengal famine in 1943, which he did alongside Chittaprosad’s sketches, as part of his brief for the Communist Party of India. In this long-ranging interview, Janah switches easily between the intellectual and social contexts of Bengal and India, colonial and postcolonial work spaces as well as the languages Bengali and English. It testifies to the enormous translatability of his imagery and politics towards a condition of universal progress and dignity.
From 1935, until Rabindranath Tagore’s death in 1941, Shambhu Shaha regularly took photographs of the poet in his newly adopted residence and educational institute at Santiniketan. Shaha’s views of the residential buildings (like the one above, of Punascha) highlighted the blend of modern, planned architectural spaces and an openness to nature and landscape that underlined Tagore’s approach to integrated living. The poet himself hovered playfully between the folds of these spaces, as can be seen in this photo. (Photograph by Shambhu Shaha. Image courtesy of Faces & Places of Visva-Bharati.)
In this translated excerpt from the interview, I bring into focus some of the specific historical details surrounding his work and the circumstances of its creation: especially during the early years of his life when he learnt the craft from local, and now largely forgotten, masters.
This photograph offers a view of Udayan, which was “conceived by” Rathindranath Tagore, the poet’s son. (Photograph by Shambhu Shaha. Image courtesy of Faces & Places of Visva-Bharati.)
Siddhartha Ghosh (SG): My first question to you is this: when did you start taking photographs?
Sunil Janah (SJ): It was a childhood hobby. You must know the name Shambhu Shaha. We used to call him “uncle.” He used to come to our house often. He was a friend of our uncles. He used to spend his Sunday mornings in our house. At that time, he would continuously take photographs. He used to carry a Contax on his shoulder and shoot away. Most of the photographs of my childhood—which are kept in my mother’s album—were taken by Shambhu Shaha. I was fascinated by his photography, so my grandmother bought me a camera. It was a Voigtländer Brilliant 7.7. and I started taking pictures. Shambhu uncle used to say, “Do not give those (undeveloped negatives/ prints) to the shop. I have darkroom, and you can go develop those pictures there. Then you will learn.” So, I not only had a camera, but free dark-room facilities. It was quite fascinating to me, so my enthusiasm for the work grew as well. Since then, I became a good photographer.
As Janah attributed his early inspiration for photography to Shambhu Shaha, the latter might have named Hemchandra Kanungo as his own inspirational figure. Shaha’s photographs of Santiniketan frequently captured the presence of other artists who were in residence—either as students or teachers. The picture above shows Ramkinkar Baij working on his sculpture of Tagore. (Photograph by Shambhu Shaha. Image courtesy of Faces & Places of Visva-Bharati.)
To read the second part of this excerpted interview, please click here.
