Founded in 1915, the Mahatta photographic studio has become a privileged witness to Indian history over the decades. Passed down through four generations, the studio continues to combine the visual memory of a country with a drive for innovation, while remaining deeply attached to its roots and the transmission of family expertise.

The story began 110 years ago when photographer Amar Nath Mehta opened a photo studio under his name in Srinagar, northern India, in a country under British rule. The approximate pronunciation of "Mehta" by the colonists gave birth to "Mahatta," an identity that would endure. "My grandfather, Madan Mahatta, took over in 1954. He was the first in India to produce a color print," recalls Arjun Mahatta, great-great-grandson of the founder, who himself joined the company thirteen years ago.

"He contributed greatly to India's development and modernization. We have enormous documentation from this period because we photographed all the major Indian events, many important personalities, and dignitaries," Arjun explains. The Mahatta archives constitute a treasure trove for historians and photography enthusiasts alike. From World War II to fashion shows, including portraits of Jacqueline Kennedy, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama, the studio preserves "images of very varied genres covering the last hundred years: architecture, studio portraits, army generals, Supreme Court judges."

These archives have notably led to publications, such as "Picturing a Century," a book published in 2015 to celebrate the studio's centennial. Ten years later, Arjun Mahatta is preparing a new book that will blend his own photographs with those of his father and grandfather, which will be presented in New York this November.

While the studio pioneered color printing in India before automating their printing process in the 1970s, Arjun Mahatta notes that it was his father, Pavan Mahatta, and his uncle Pankaj Mahatta, who joined the company in 1983, who introduced digital photography to the studio three years later. "Over time, we had to transform our business. We were the first to import Canon into the country in 1991, when the Indian market opened up to the world," he said.

At a time when the photography industry's economy is being shaken, Arjun Mahatta is also bringing new changes to the company, with a vision that combines technological innovation with respect for historical archives. In recent years, Mahatta has continued to diversify its activities by offering online printing services, a stock photo bank, and film and video production. These initiatives not only extend the studio's reach but also help showcase its archives to a modern audience.

"Right now, we're developing a direction that we perhaps envisioned 30 years ago. And that's what I love: working on long-term projects," Arjun explains, while emphasizing the importance of always "evolving with the times and reaching out to people." This forward-thinking approach ensures that the century-old legacy of visual storytelling continues to thrive in the digital age.