Paul Saltzman

I met Paul Saltzman in 2005 while he was leading one of his lectures on “The Beatles in India” in West Palm Beach, Florida. I had become quite friendly with him over the years and he had appeared as a guest on my Pop Go the Beatles radio shows on two different occasions.

During one of his guest appearances he said that he heard Paul working on the song “Ob-La-Di OB-La-Da” while in at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Ashram in India. He just happened to be there at the same time as the Beatles. "Lucky Guy." When I played the Esher House Demo of the song he said "it sounded just like the fun he remembered from India."

I found him to be warm, friendly, genuine and quite approachable. At that lecture I purchased two 16 x 20 photographs, one each of John and Paul that hang proudly in my living room. These pictures exhibit a warm, pressure-free Lennon and McCartney that have rarely been seen in other photos.

Cynthia Lennon commented that this shot of John was her favorite photo of her ex-husband.

In December 1967, 23 year-old Paul Saltzman traveled to India in search of himself. To his great surprise, he found the Beatles in India. Paul spent a magical week at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram. He learned meditation and hung out with John, Paul, George and Ringo. Thirty years later, he found the photos he'd shot and put away in a cardboard box: The Beatles in India.

"...like a footprint left in the sand, and I'm reminded of the path that's been washed away and the Greek proverb, 'You can never enter the same river twice.' As the ashram I knew is gone, so too are the Beatles. And yet, we can evoke their magic through their music, their words, and their photographs."
Paul Saltzman

Paul Saltzman’s photos of all of us in India, in 1968, are absolutely beautiful. The photo of John, finger to his ear, is the best picture I’ve ever seen of John Lennon from the Beatles’ era—it speaks volumes.
– Cynthia Lennon

I love Paul’s pictures of the Beatles. His photographs are so personal. He’s captured them as they were.
– Astrid Kirchherr

Paul Saltzman’s meditative photographs from the ashram are unique. You never see the Beatles like this. We threw off our Western clothes. We took up our silk pantaloons. We could be ourselves again. And who ourselves were—who ourselves are—we were keen to find out.
– Donovan Leitch

I highly recommend that you take a close look at these pictures of the "Beatles in Rishikesh" and purchase your favorite print for your home. You can view them below and order them from Paul’s website www.thebeatlesinindia.com

Also, Don’t forget to check out his book “The Beatles in Rishikesh” on our Beatles Books and Authors page…coming soon. Or click on the image below to order directly from Amazon at a great price!

Check out my review of Paul Saltzman's books here.

Beatles Photographers

• Paul Saltzman Photographs
• Pattie Boyd Photographs
• Jurgen Vollmer Photographs
• Linda McCartney Photographs
• May Pang Photographs
• Jorie Gracen Photographs
• Nancy Lee Andrews Photographs