Indian Road Trip Raghubir Singhís Photos Capture Vibrant Cities, People of India by Carolyn Chapman Looking at Indian photographer Raghubir Singhís photos is a lot like going on a road trip through India with him, seeing the vibrant cities, ancient buildings, lively people and varied landscapes through his eyesóand through his car, one of the ubiquitous Indian Ambassadors. Known affectionately in India as an ìAmby,î the Ambassador car has changed little since it debuted in 1957, and, like yellow cabs in New York City, it seems to be a predictable and constant presence on Indian roads. Over a 30-year period, Singh spent much of his time on the road in his Amby, traveling throughout the country taking photographs. ìAuto*Focus: Raghubir Singhís Way Into India,î now on display at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, features his last series of photographs, which use the Ambassador as his focal point. Whether the car is the main subject, in the background, reflected in the rearview mirror, or its windows, door and mirrors used for framing, Singhís fascination with the Ambassador, and with India itself, is prese nt in each of the four dozen photographs in the exhibition. A quote by Singh perhaps best describes the cultural importance of the ever-present Amby in India: ìIt is the peopleís caróIndiaís Rolls Royce and stretch limousine all rolled into one solid, yet shaky entity. Bulletproof and tri-color fluttering, it breezes by with prime ministers and presidents. With scratches, peeling paint and driven by drivers who spend the night in their cars, it has become a substantial part of the unknown town and a small part of cosmopolitan India.î Singhís photographs capture the different aspects of everyday life in India, all of which are connected by the common bond of the Amby. Lines of Ambassadors sit at traffic lights; families pile into beat-up looking cars; a worker at an Ambassador factory naps in the front seat of a new car; an Ambassador sits on a bustling street surrounded by horse carts and bicycles; a driver argues with a pedestrian in the middle of another crowded street; an Amby is parked next to a few camels in the city of Rajasthan; an open Amby hood reveals a trunk full of slaughtered chickens. In several photos, the open door of the Amby is placed center stage, almost as if Singh saw a view he liked, stopped the car, took a snapshot, and then continued on his drive through India. One can even imagine the music his car radio plays as he makes his way across the country with his camera. Singh began shooting color photographs when most respected photographers were only using black and white. Known as a pioneer of color photography, Singh used color in all of his photographs, believing it was necessary to fully convey the vitality of the landscape and the ìcolorfulî Indian people. Although Singh lived abroad for most of his life, it is obvious from his photographs that he remained deeply rooted in and fascinated by Indiaóa common feeling among many expatriates who often grow fonder of their own country and more eager to explore it once they are far away. Although the Amby is present in every photograph in this series, it is Singhís India thatís really the star of the photographs. The Amby is always there, but the photographer uses it as a way to see Indiaóboth literally, as a means of transportation, and artistically, as a way to frame and scale his photographs. ìAuto*Focus: Raghubir Singhís Way Into Indiaî runs through Aug. 10 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave., SW. For more information, please call (202) 357-2700 or visit www.asia.si.edu. Carolyn Chapman is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.