I captured this portrait just as I arrived at The Imperial, New Delhi—a place where elegance greets you long before the concierge does. Standing tall at the entrance was this regal figure, the hotel’s Durban, dressed in a traditional ceremonial uniform that echoed the grandeur of India’s princely past. His crimson-and-saffron turban, twisted high with a flourish, commanded attention, while his meticulously curled mustache and warm smile offered the gentlest of welcomes. He didn’t just open doors—he opened a passage into time.
But this wasn’t just a beautiful face at the gate. The moment I clicked the shutter, I realized I was photographing someone who stands at the threshold of one of India’s most historic buildings.
Behind that smile lies a quiet sentinel to history.
It was within The Royal Ballroom of this very hotel that, on June 9, 1947, the All India Muslim League gathered to ratify the Mountbatten Plan—the pivotal proposal that led to the partition of India and the eventual formation of Pakistan. The room where they debated and decided remains preserved, its chandeliers still catching light the same way they did that fateful day.
The Imperial isn’t just a luxury hotel—it’s a living, breathing archive of the subcontinent’s most defining moments. Political giants like Nehru, Jinnah, and Mountbatten walked its corridors. While sipping tea in the veranda or listening to the distant piano notes in the lounge, I couldn’t help but imagine the conversations that once echoed off these colonial walls—ideas that redrew borders and reshaped millions of lives.
And here, at the gates of that very legacy, stood this man—polished boots, golden braids, and a smile as timeless as the heritage he represents.
In this image, I wanted to capture more than hospitality. I wanted to frame a living piece of India’s layered past—the human face of a place where history was not only made, but continues to be remembered every day.