Raja Lala Deen Dayal (1844-1905) was a pioneering Indian photographer whose work offers a rare and expansive visual archive of 19th-century India. Trained as a civil engineer at Thomason College (now IIT Roorkee), he transitioned into photography while working in Indore’s Public Works Department. By the 1890s, Deen Dayal had established studios in Indore, Secunderabad, and Bombay and was appointed photographer to the Viceroy of India. In 1897, Queen Victoria awarded him a Royal Warrant, and the Nizam conferred upon him the honorary title Raja Mussavir Jung Bahadur, which roughly translates to ‘bold photographic warrior’. Deen Dayal’s photographic style stands apart from many of his colonial contemporaries in both intent and execution, documenting Indian life with dignity and nuance.
His eldest son, Gyan Chand, trained under his father, was a skilled photographer in his own right, particularly noted for his portraiture. He was commissioned to document the Royal visit of King George V in 1911, accompanying the entourage across the subcontinent. His work often emphasised individual character and emotional intricacies over grand settings — more restrained backgrounds, suggesting a shift toward intimacy and realism.
The studio was closely linked with the city of Hyderabad, with Raja Deen Dayal being appointed as the court photographer to the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahbub Ali Khan, a legacy continued by his son Gyan Chand till 1911. However, the studio remained active, serving both elite and commercial clients, and was one of the few Indian-run studios with such sustained prominence in a princely state. The Hyderabad branch had earlier pioneered a Zenana studio — likely the first in India — catering to women in purdah.
Interestingly, an extraordinary set of photographs was commissioned by a gentleman called Mr GM Kelekar on July 27, 1900, exactly 125 years ago. These photographs of women and girls at play are rare and culturally significant. Their very existence suggests a progressive or reformist impulse, possibly tied to early educational or social movements. The photos suggest a deliberate act of representation, thus choosing to depict play rather than portraiture more notable.
To those like me who research traditional games, these photographs are an incredible source of information about how people played. One photograph showed the girls playing board games like Chaupad or Dhayakattam, while another showed them playing the game of Chauka Bhara. A number of photos showed girls at play with five stones, beautifully capturing the various intricacies and tricks of the game. Other photos showed us the children playing games such a clapping, spinning around, etc. — a more elemental and universal reference to the idea of play.
This treasure trove of photos was made available for a one-of-a-kind exhibition from the Amichand Deen Dayal Studio Archives courtesy Vikas Chand Jain and Shalini Deen Dayal.
Here was a chance to discover our roots, a chance to realise that people played like we played over a hundred years ago. Sadly, those songs and games are disappearing, but in this set of photos they are frozen in time, a signal and clue for us to rediscover those games, almost as if the photographer were reaching out to us across time to remind us of our heritage.