He spent a large part of his life as a photo journalist, but the pictures that he's displaying this time are truly different. They don't supplement a story, they stand on their own.
He spent a large part of his life as a photo journalist, but the pictures that he's displaying this time are truly different. They don't supplement a story, they stand on their own.
Dilip Banerjee's Song of the Road exhibition at the Piramal Art Gallery, NCPA that concludes on Monday, traces the photographer's journey to different countries. He speaks to CS about the ongoing show: 
Photographer Dilip Banerjee
Framed
Song of the Road tells the story of people. It is a narrative of photo frames that are stitched together to highlight human relations, experiences and social themes that are common to humankind in every part of the world.
I have captured people's suffering, their affection, their joy and their pain. And their journey isn't over. This series is also symbolic of my own journey.
It's a collection of pictures shot over three decades in Sudan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, USA, UK and other places. I'm thrilled by the response that I've received so far.
The likes of Mukesh Ambani and Pritish Nandy dropped by and the latter also said that he plans to buy two of my pictures.
Devi diva
You will also find some of my favourite pictures in the book, Song of the Road that I've recently released. While working as a photo journalist, I was asked to shoot Phoolan Devi in Delhi in 1993.
When I was loitering around her neighbourhood, a man asked me what I was there for. I informed him that I was on an assignment to shoot the Bandit Queen.
He returned with a passport size picture of hers. I told him that it wouldn't do, so he went back to check with Phoolan Devi. She summoned me and was extremely hospitable.
When I told her that I wanted to shoot her (pun not intended), she said 'One minute' and disappeared inside. She returned with lipstick on, in a dazzling new sari.
It's unfortunate that this picture couldn't go on display at the ongoing exhibition because we couldn't trace the negatives, but you can catch it in my book. Having said that, every picture on display has a story!
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