Portraits from India: Children from rural Uttar Pradesh

Travel in Uttar Pradesh is quite a unique experience, especially if you are traveling in the hinterlands or the rural areas. I spent my early years in the state, though not in the rural areas, and so am completely at home there. The language works perfectly well for me, and people also relate easily to me as one of their own :)

The naughty girl is the third from left :)

Here are some images from the time I spent in a small nondescript village in Uttar Pradesh. The name of the village was Mawaiyya.

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A young girl came running to me as I tried clicking an illustration on the wall of the house and insisted that I take her picture. Over the next two minutes she posed solo till her friends from the neighboring huts saw what was going on outside and decided to join in. After that all hell broke loose and it was almost impossible to get even one of them in focus :)

I was visiting a few villages in the Rae Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh and it was a similar scene in most villages. Some of the places were quite inaccessible by a car, my driver didn't leave any stone unturned (quite literally) as he drove through mud roads which were meant more for bullock-carts than cars. The car survived and so did I, despite some strong sun.

Just back from school and chilling out :)

Villages never intrigued me in the past, but the more I visit them the more I connect with them better. But now things have changed and I have fallen in love with villages and people who live there, not just in India but also outside. I was in Africa a few months back and had an opportunity to visit some villages and the experience was memorable.

So what is it that I like there? I do not have any romantic ideas about the villages and have been exposed to them in close quarters, I do know the good, the bad and the ugly. However, villages still retain more innocence and its something unique to a city dweller like me!

I love taking pictures of people and hearing out their stories. Since I am in Maharashtra now, I visit more villages here, but the experience is always enriching. 

Read more: Portraits of women from rural Maharashtra

Siesta time!

I loved the light on this girl...

Siblings...

Isn't she beautiful? I love clicking all kids :)

And finally the bunch of naughty kids posing with the photographer :)