The Many Faces of India
Showing the diversity of the people of Western, Southern and Eastern India
I first traveled to India as a non-photographer in 2015. And yes, as I traveled around I did see poverty, illness and even death – the images of India that we are flooded with here in the United States. But, I saw so much more (and didn’t see many of the things that I was used to seeing as I traveled around America).
Specifically, I saw the inner and the outer beauty of the people. I saw their resilience. I saw their immense dignity. I saw how hard they worked from morning to night, oftentimes seven days per week. I saw how they melded their religious and spiritual beliefs into everything they did. And I felt a total sense of safety and peace no matter where I traveled.
What I didn’t see was anger, road rage (despite how insane-to-me the unwritten driving ‘rules’ initially appeared), mistrust of others nor anything at all that I could describe as depression or being upset over one’s situation or lot in life.
Right then and there, I decided to take up photography full-time and work as hard as I could to get to the point of being able to convey what I saw to others. It took me three years but in 2018 and 2019 I returned to India.
I visited many remote villages that no one ever visits from other countries. The openness, friendliness and desire to interact and be photographed I encountered was truly unique. In my work I believe that I am presenting who the people in my photographs are, in the way that they choose to be seen. It is a gift that they give me that I get to share with others.
