Raghu Rai on photographing the ordinary

It's not only disasters, wars and tragedies, it's also not big leaders, artists and film makers. Bulk of the body of my work has managed to capture the ordinariness of daily life where the mundane and the ordinary. It is not about small assignments or even exciting actors," says one of India's most prolific photojournalists, Raghu Rai. The Padma Shri awardee, present at the 10th edition of TEDxGateway in Mumbai last week, spoke about his ideals and love for the latest technology. Excerpts:

How would you say your work has deviated from your mentor Henri Cartier-Bresson in terms subject and technique?

He was not my mentor. After seeing my first one man show in Paris, he nominated me to Magnum Photos, but I always worked independently from this part of the world, so there was no question of suffering from any influences. However, I admired his creative impulses a great deal.

In the world of Instagram and filters, what differentiates the photographer from the masses?

Instagram is a disease, but it depends how creatively you use it. Everybody is bitten by it. Eventually, each one of us are reduced to a [dot]com. But for someone who's exploring new possibilities – the sunshine is round the corner.

Do you use analogue cameras now?

Digital technology gives me the freedom missing in analogue. You need to move with the times and there's no room for nostalgic nonsense.

Do you use phone cameras for professionally taking pictures?

Only once I used cellphone and did a whole book about India. But the camera in the phone was 24MP, the quality and sharpness was a class, and I made an exhibition of 2ftx3ft prints and 2ftx5ft panoramas.