For most people, reaching the age of 90 heralds a time when life really starts to slow down.
But Maganbhai Patel – also known as Masterji – is not most people. A renowned photographer from Coventry who has been documenting the lives of south Asian families for more than 50 years, he is now holding his first-ever exhibition – at the age of 94.
The exhibition is a collection of 70 photographs Masterji took between the 1960s and 1990s, which reveal what life was like for people who had recently emigrated to the UK.
It’s a story that Masterji is able to relate to – he arrived in Coventry from Surat, Gujarat, in 1951. Armed with just a box brownie – one of the first Kodak cameras ever
made – Masterji gave up his role as a schoolteacher in India to focus on building a photography business.
His studio is still open and is being run by his son Ravindra.
Masterji said: “There was no other Indian photographer in the city. I was the first. I made people happy – they liked me. I am very proud. I always enjoyed photography but didn’t expect this to happen.”
As well as portraits of his family, Masterji documented ordinary families – like the bus conductor Mr Khan – who were living in the area. One of the exhibition’s curators, Jason Tilley, told Eastern Eye: “On the first day of the exhibition, a lady came in. The first picture that she saw was of her father and she immediately burst into tears. It was amazing to see how quickly these pictures triggered a reaction.”
Despite being a photographer in the city for so many years, Masterji’s work is on display only now as part of a wider campaign by Coventry, which is bidding to be the UK’s city of culture in 2021.
Tilley added: “An exhibition isn’t always the end goal for photographers – what Masterji has built up is a successful photography business that’s still going today.
“His work is of huge significance not just for Coventry but the UK also because it’s a window into the lives of people as they arrived here and the image they wanted to send home. In some photos, you see a more laid-back style and also some of the difficulties they faced, so it documents a very important part of the city’s history and its cultural diversity.”
The exhibition of Masterji’s photographs is on at The Box, Fargo Village, Coventry, until November 20
The circular structure inspired by jali screens in India
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, at the garden
The couple display their medals
