Raikas are perhaps one of the most well-photographed indigenous communities of India.
They are pastoralists from the colourful state of Rajasthan. Herding livestock has been their way of life for centuries. Traditionally a substantial part of the community used to be nomadic herders.
But in the last few decades more and more Raikas have given up herding and moved to other vocations and migrated to cities in search of better prospects.
But every year Raikas from across the country congregate at the Sarneshwar Mahadev temple outside Sirohi city on a designated day.
The temple is ritually handed over to the community for a day by His Highness the Maharawal
(customary king) of Sirohi for Kathas (musical invocation of Gods) and other celebrations.
The annual fair honours the valour of Raikas who protected the temple and the kingdom in the year1298-99 by fighting alongside the resident army against the much larger invading forces of Allaudin Khalji and emerging victorious.
I have been working on Raikas for over three years now and when I heard about the fair, I visualised a series of formal portraits. And decided to employ off-camera flash using the picturesque temple pond as the backdrop.
The objective was to not use a shallow depth of field but rather emphasise the context of the temple and the colour-palette - Red, Green and Blue.
The green is an attribution to pastures that govern the direction of movement of Raikas while they migrate with their livestock, the blue-skies determine the timing of their migration and the red of their iconic turbans is almost like a beacon in the rugged landscapes of Rajasthan.
The portraits showcase the Pride and Resilience of a fading community in a modern India- an India that largely looks down at nomadic herding as an atavistic way of life.
Assisted by Manu Yadav.
