People of the Road Series - Chapter 1

A lot of people I meet on the road are curious about my journey and especially on a motorcycle. This curiosity is my key to open up a conversation and get a peek into their lives.

‘People of the Road’ is my effort to capture stories, outlook and interpretations of people beyond the cities and of the land.

It is a collection of pictures that I have clicked with people I have interacted on my journeys.

This is the beginning.

The Taxi Driver in Leh

“The Leh of my childhood was very different. Untouched and pristine, it was a beautiful land; virgin, protected and nurtured by the locals. A lot of places, which now are part of the city, were essentially out of bounds for us back then. They were wild and untamed.

Tourism changed the landscape and people great deal. Of course it brought a lot of wealth and means to people of the land. I am a driver and drive tourists around Leh. I am very much a part of this tourism industry and agree it has done us good.

But having seen times before the advent of tourism, I feel this mindless and unregulated tourism is beneficial only for the time being. The price we are paying as a community and land in the long run might just prove to be too expensive for us.”

The Chaiwallah of Haryana

“A lot of bikers stop at my chai shop. These are guys coming from Ahmedabad, Pune, and Mumbai and heading to Ladakh, just like you.

Last year, I saw a girl riding a big bike. She was with a group. I haven’t seen many girls here in Haryana riding a motorbike. But I think things are changing. Girls are doing everything that we men can do, and who is to stop them.

The chai is on me. You don’t need to pay for it. When you go back to your place, do tell that Haryana is not like what it is shown in the news. There are good people here too.”

The Eternal Hopeful

“I ran away to Goa from my home in Mumbai when I was nine. Since then I worked in Goa and took up whatever job came my way. I met my first girlfriend who was from Sweden. We went around for a while when she was here. After her return to Sweden, I was supposed to join her, but for various reasons that did not happen.

Now I am dating a girl from Canada. Since it is off-season in Goa, I am working here in Leh now. After this, I am planning to apply for my papers to travel to Canada. I intend to join my girl friend there.”

The Aspiring Gymnast

“If I did not have to work, I definitely would have gone to school. I am not sure how much I would have studied, but for sure, I would have joined gymnastics. I think with proper equipment and technique, I would have been very good at it.”

Bollywood Actors of the Road

“A lot of movies have been shot here in Rajasthan. Don’t get fooled by the dry landscape. There is a mysterious beauty in this place. Even the Mohangarh palace, 5 kms from here is a very beautiful place and was showed in an Amir Khan movie.

Back in the day, I have acted in a movie too. It was called ‘Reshma and Shera’.”

Aspiring Sportsmen of Haryana

“We are practicing to join the army. I feel joining the army or getting into sports not only gets you good money, but also earns you good respect in our community. That is important for us.”

People of the Border

“We usually go tend to our farms on the other side of the ‘taar’ (fence) during the day. However we have strict orders to comeback before sunset. All movement after sunset is restricted because of security reasons and if there is a strong reason to travel, we need to inform the authorities.

In fact you should also be leaving now. It is not advisable to spend too much time here. We don’t get any visitors and if the authorities get suspicious, they might detain you for questioning.”

I photographed these boys in a small village in Punjab that shares its border with Pakistan. In fact it is covered by Pakistan on three sides and the one side where it is connected to India, the River Sutlej cuts it from the main land.

PS: They are not as serious as they appear in the photograph. The boys were quite friendly and were open to conversation. For some reason, every time I took out my camera to photograph them, they would on this serious.

Dhabas of India

“The best thing about working here is that I get to see TV. When there are no customers at the Dhaba, I can watch movies, serials on Tv. That part is fun.”

Manganiars of Rajasthan

“I belong to the Manganiyar people in Rajasthan. We belong to a group of hereditary professional musicians, whose music was supported by Royals, aristocracy and landlords for long.

Off late, thanks to Bollywood and other TV shows, a lot of people have shown interest in our music. A lot of us perform for hotels now. I want my son also to take up music, but he seems to be more interested in playing on mobile.”