Photo credits were captured by photographer Raghubir Singh as John Mandin, the top of Matrapandir, 1994: Special arrangement
Capture lifeThe late photographer, John Mandin will be depicted at Center D ‘Art, Aurovile from August 10, during four decades (1980 to 2020) by John Mandin.
John died on 7 July last year, and the exhibition was organized by Franz Fasbendor, the founder of the Prince, is one of the Orouvile units, which specializes in publishing and distributing books – a tribute to John’s time spent in India and spots the oroweli through his lens. John, who grew up in northern California on the Pacific coast in the north of Big Sur and Carmel, came to India in 1968 at the age of 24. A month later, he ended at the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, where he was accepted by the mother (Mirra Alphasa) as an ashram.
John Mandin | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
His 43 -year -old wife Sunaina Mandin says, “He was an artist whose medium of expression was finished.” John achieved his first serious camera, a Pentax SLR in an unusual way. One of his Australian friends, who needed money to return to Australia from Aurovel, offered him to sell his camera. Earlier, John had only a simple point and shoot camera.
“She was fully self-centered. She started reading a lot, she could hold her hands, she could hold her hands, and at one point, her sister of America took membership of photography magazines and sent,” Sunaina misses her.
Banyan tree. The physical center of Aurovel was captured by John Mandin next to Matramandir. , Photo Credit: John Mandin
Through his reading, John learned that processing black and white film with cold water gives the best results. After bringing back a refrigerator, he will bicycle to an ice factory, buy a large block of ice, ride home cycling, and use ice to cool developing tanks for his film processing. “She loved cameras, lenses and all accessories, as the dark tools and high quality photos developing and printing and printing and printing high quality photos. But most, he preferred to take photos,” says Sunaina.
He also taught photography at the last school of Aspiration Township for many children in Aurovel.
Cycling Aurovelle after work. , Photo Credit: John Mandin
Recently, he was working with Sri Aurobindo Ashram Archives on a new book. “He only worked with natural light. John’s pictures have a certain type of beauty and poem, something that people need to remind through the exhibition,” Sunaina.
The exhibition will be depicted at Center D ‘Art, Aurovile by 10 August.
Published – 01 August, 2025 07:35 pm IST
