









A visit to India is not complete without a ride on the train.
Crowded. People. Everywhere. No personal space. Everyone is together; There’s something magical about this.
The mass of people make their way to the platforms. Women pick the trash off the tracks until they hear the train’s approaching. People stand at the open door – ready to make their quick exit. The mass crowds onto the train car – inching their way to the nearest handhold.
As I took a few photos of my impressions – one boy stood up in the corner, raising his hand, and motioning that he wanted his photo to be taken. He might be hard to spot at first, as I’ve been left to a fixed lens on this trip and have no way of zooming-in to my subject… However the light gleams perfectly on his face – his eyes alit with wonder as he is the star of the show now.
I can be quite sensitive to taking pictures of people I don’t know – but I’ve found that many here are delighted to be the chosen subject of a complete stranger (well, perhaps white westerner with a big camera is more like it…) It’s quite special to have the opportunity to enter into people’s worlds and meet face-to-face for a moment in time through the lens.
As people exited one-by-one with each approaching stop, I made my way to an empty seat, which happened to be next to the family of the boy who wanted his photo taken. This Hindu family was a delight to meet. Their daughter having some form of disability, made me wonder how she, and the family as a whole, are looked upon by their surrounding community. As a Hindu, it is the belief that this disability was brought to them by some bad karma, most likely through the wrong doing of the parents. They are shamed and often parents choose to rid themselves of the disabled so as not to be ridiculed.
But this family was different. The mother lovingly looked after her daughter, wiping the drool forming around her mouth…they smiled and were grateful that I would pay attention to her. Commenting on her beautiful bangle bracelets and dress. They were delighted for me to take a picture of her too.
There’s something about being on the train that brings a closeness. Forced into each other’s spaces…friendly exchanges of smiles and attempts at speaking to try and understand through some common words – but mostly through catching eyes and getting glimpses into one another’s souls.