Being a professional photographer in the 1940s and '50s, however, was far from easy. People did not entirely know what to make of the man with the camera. Luckily, I saw the humor in it. But you have to have the eye to see that it will be a good accident. The image captured is one of masses of people in the street and, in the corner, one man shielding his head with a newspaper flashing a headline about Gandhi's death.
Nobody believes that the image was captured so perfectly.
The picture is a perfect juxtaposition of the printed word and the people it affects. The words appear simple, yet the reaction of the people is incredibly complex. Janah's experiences with the villagers and tribal people were equally complex. Most villagers, he said, were happy to have their pictures taken, which is evident in the relaxed smiles captured on film. The tribals, though, were often seeing a camera for the first time.