IndiaPost.com - Exhibition to celebrate 40 years of Beatles in India

NEW YORK: In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Beatles in India, the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) in association with the Morrison Hotel gallery is presenting 'Beatles in India: by Paul Saltzman' -- an exhibition and sale of historic photographs of the iconic band.

The exhibition will be held April 12 to 30. In 1968, the Beatles transformed the trajectory of music and pop culture when they decided to travel to India to practice transcendental meditation at Maharishi Mahesh's ashram.

Photographer Paul Saltzman was a young traveler that happened to be at the ashram at the same time and beautifully captured the magic of the Beatles' stay in India. Paul Saltzman's intimate and uplifting images show the Beatles composing music and at peace in the vibrancy of their surroundings and the richness of Indian culture. Saltzman went to the ashram to learn meditation to heal a broken heart, unaware that the Beatles would be there.

Saltzman's rare photographs artfully present John, Paul, George and Ringo together in complete intimate harmony. His candid pictures feature four of the most famous people on the planet, away from the stresses of their everyday world: resting, laughing, writing transcendent music that went on to change people's lives, including Saltzman's.

Placed in historical perspective, these images witness the burst of creativity enjoyed at the ashram that would carry them into the recording sessions for The White Album. Their stay in Rishikesh was a creative outpouring that culminated in an astounding 48 songs being written in 7 weeks, including many from the White Album, including beloved titles such as 'Dear Prudence' and 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da'.

"The intimacy of these frames is quite remarkable, some of the best I have seen," says Stephen Maycock, Former Curator for Rock 'n' Roll at Sotheby's auction house in London. "Saltzman's photographs will be welcomed by both fans and historians of The Beatles alike, for these images provide a significant addition to the detail of what is a relatively little-recorded episode in the career of the most important rock group the world has known."

When Saltzman got home to Canada, he put the pictures away in a cardboard box and promptly forgot about them. Thirty years later, he rediscovered the timeless images and was moved by what he saw. In 2000, Penguin-Putnam published his book 'The Beatles in Rishikesh'.

Gallery shows followed in New York, Toronto, London, Paris and Milan, La Jolla, Denver Sweden, Norway and Argentina. In early 2006, Saltzman published a deluxe, fine art Limited Edition book:

The Beatles in India, complete with an original CD and DVD, as well as a Limited Edition, museum quality photographic print. Saltzman is a two-time Emmy Award winning Toronto-based film and television producer-director known for over 300 productions.