India
"India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most artistic materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!"
- Mark Twain
Colourful, confusing, pulsating, confronting and challenging, India is a country that offers endless surprises, extremes and opposites. Crowded cities and quiet backwaters alike assault the senses with their colour, sound and smell, and the moment you start to think you’re beginning to get a grip on the place, it throws you a new test. Even the most experienced India travellers find their nerves frayed at times. India pushes you to the brink of what you think you can tolerate, only to then pull you back with a smirk and produce a moment that reminds you not to take life, or yourself, too seriously.
I travelled to India in 2015 having heard all the clichés: cows on the road, butter chicken in every restaurant, insane drivers, Bollywood, scammers and beggars on every street corner, and all the rest. Some of these I found to be true. Some pleasantly so. What I did find was a population of warm, friendly and giving people.
As impressive as the Mughal palaces, temples and expansive desert landscapes are, it is the people of India who leave the greatest impression. Smiles amongst abject poverty and willingness to give their time lead the traveller to question their own priorities and values.
Travelling mainly through Mumbai and then north to Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan was an eye opening experience and the images in this book represent, I hope, the diversity, grace, humility and vigour of those that I met, their way of life and the places they call home.
My thanks go to those who agreed to be photographed for this book and who were kind, open and gracious without exception.
