One calendar. A thousand perspectives. Pirelli discovers India.

Some calendars remind us of appointments. Others remind us that photography can be an  art form in its own right . Since 1964, the Pirelli Calendar has clearly belonged to the latter category. For the 2027 edition, which has now been unveiled in New Delhi, ‘The Cal’ is venturing into new territory: for the first time, three photographers are each telling a story about a single country – India.

Three photographers. One country. Many stories.

The Norwegian fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø, who is already in charge of the 2026 edition, portrays nine women with different connections to India. Among them are actress Freida Pinto, musician Anoushka Shankar and poet Rupi Kaur.

His artfully staged images meet the documentary perspectives of Raghu Rai and his daughter Avani Rai.

And this is precisely where the story becomes particularly interesting.

Raghu Rai, one of India’s most significant photographers, documented life in his country over several decades. He passed away in April 2026, before the joint calendar project had been completed.

His daughter continued the work. She took her father’s historical photographs back onto the streets of Delhi and Mumbai, bringing the past and the present together.

Time passes. Images remain.

The result is 36 photographs that could hardly be more different: 18 elaborately staged portraits by Sundsbø and 18 images from the joint project by father and daughter Rai.

Rather than a single image of India, the collection offers diverse perspectives on people, places and memories.

The 2027 Pirelli Calendar is published as an elaborately designed box set. And it demonstrates once again that a calendar does not necessarily have to be there simply to count the days.

Sometimes, capturing a single moment is enough.