Steve McCurry's colorful India
India has fascinated and intrigued photographer Steve McCurry for more than three decades. His indelible images of the sprawling, complex, chaotic AND beautiful country are now on view at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York in an exhibition titled "Steve McCurry: India," in partnership with the International Center of Photography (ICP), and published in a new book by Phaidon, "India." The career retrospective, with many previously unseen photos, is on display November 18, 2015 -- April 4, 2016.
To read more: "A photographic Journey through India with National Geographic's Steve McCurry."
In this photo, a steam engine passes in front of the Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh in 1983.
By CBSNews.com Senior Photo Editor Radhika Chalasani
Steve McCurry: India
McCurry's work in India launched the National Geographic photographer's career. He describes the country as one of the most important places he has worked in his career.
The photographer has done stories on train journeys, the monsoon and the dynamic city of Mumbai among many others during his time in India.
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Tailor carries his sewing machine through monsoon waters, Porbandar, Gujarat; 1983
Steve McCurry: India
Holi festival (festival of colors), Rajasthan; 1996 -- an image from the book
Steve McCurry: India
In reflecting on what draws him to India, McCurry says,"There is such an extreme range of class; rich and poor; old and new, sacred and secular. There are people living with the newest of modern amenities and luxuries, living right next to families existing in what many would consider primitive conditions. There are Hindus and Muslims, Sikhs and Jains, Christians and Buddhists, all living amongst one another."
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Boy in mid-flight, Jodhpur, Rajasthan; 2007
Steve McCurry: India
Bicycles hang on the side of a train, West Bengal; 1983 -- an image from the book
Steve McCurry: India
In McCurry's view, "It is fascinating to experience this maelstrom of human life that is a beautiful chaos."
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Mother and child at a car window, Mumbai, Maharashtra; 1993
Steve McCurry: India
This image, the cover, of his new book "India" is one of McCurry's favorites -- a magical moment of women singing a prayer for rain amidst swirling clouds of dust.
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Dust storm, Rajasthan; 1983
Steve McCurry: India
Women in stepwell, Rajasthan; 2002
Steve McCurry: India
Many of the photos in the exhibition have not been seen previously. Over half the images in the book are previously unseen, chosen from a vast personal archive by the photographer.
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Father and daughter on Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir; 1996
Steve McCurry: India
Young Rinpoche, Bylakuppe, Karnataka; 2001
Steve McCurry: India
Mahouts sleep next to their elephant, Rajasthan; 2012 -- an image from the book
Steve McCurry: India
Portrait of engineer Maqbool Andrabi, Srinagar, Kashmir; 1999
Steve McCurry: India
Man practices acupressure while walking on gravel, Jaipur, Rajasthan; 2009
Steve McCurry: India
Woman and child on the Howrah Mail train en-route to Kolkata, West Bengal; 1982
Steve McCurry: India
Sikh devotee prays at the Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab; 1996
Steve McCurry: India
Rabari tribal elder, Rajasthan; 2010
Steve McCurry: India
Hindu devotee carries statue of Lord Ganesh into the Arabian Sea during an immersion ritual off Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai, Maharashtra; 1993
Steve McCurry: India
Young girl runs past movie poster, Mumbai, Maharashtra; 1993
"India"
Steve McCurry's "India," published by Phaidon, is a new portfolio of 150 lushly colored images of people, places and events across the Indian subcontinent, including the Ganesh festival on Chowpatty beach in Mumbai, the Kolkata railway station at dawn, the streets of Old Delhi, as well as the mass Hindu pilgrimage known as the Kumbh Mela.
The retrospective of McCurry's India photography, spanning three decades of work, is on exhibit at the Rubin Museum of Art from November 18, 2015 -- April 4, 2016.
To read more: "A photographic Journey through India with National Geographic's Steve McCurry."
To see more: Steve McCurry