Love India

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Monday, October 4, 2010 | 5 photos

The place of women in India

Travelling in India during the hotter months is an exercise in stoicism, the heat is incredible, it melts the roads and wilts the people, the light is intense and for photographers the contrast is a nightmare. Despite this, the colour and movement is addictive when you have a camera in your hands. During my last trip to India I was fascinated by the diverse role that women played in the culture.
The place that women occupy in Indian society is all encompassing, from the president to the lowest of the sweepers, women seem to carry the burden of society on their backs. So often I would see the men reclining in conversation and contemplation while the women were working in the fields, milking the cows and fixing the roads.
It seems beyond comprehension that the women and girls are to be seen swinging on picks and heaving loads of gravel on their heads while wearing their wealth in the form of their gold jewellery, and being draped in glorious coloured saris.
In these photos I have attempted to capture some aspects of life that I glimpsed in Western India earlier this year, from the young to the old this is a snapshot of the place Indian women find themselves in.
I am a dairy farmer in Victoria Australia, I don’t get to travel much, but when I do I love to photograph the people I see and meet. I would love to improve my photography, and record the images that make an impression on me, so I can share them with others. This competition offers an opportunity to learn from a master and travel at the same time, ideal really!
Thanks for the opportunity
Russell Roberts