During the winter of 2012 I got on a plane for India for a bit of a holiday.
I have been to India five times by now and it is still a place I want to return to someday. Despite the noise, the dirt and general chaos, it is a place that both challenge me and make me completely relaxed, at the same time. I don’t know how that works, perhaps my mind is so used to being in control of things, that when India hits, it just have to let go and relax.
One thing that always strikes me, is the people. Despite the obvious poverty and hardship everywhere, people seem genuinely happy.
This photo from the small neighbourhood of Chinnalapuram in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, is still one of my favourite photos. It might not mean alot to other people, but it reminds me everytime what I love about India.
I was in Chinnalapuram to visit a medical clinic in the area, where my friend Uma ran a research project to find ways to prevent deaths among infants. While there I took my camera and walked around the area to take some pictures.
As I was walking around, this woman came closer and started to say something to me in Tamil. I said something back in English but I soon realized that she didn’t speak any english. Instead I pointed to the camera and then her as to ask for permission to take her picture. She seemed ok with it so I snapped this picture of her. After doing so, I showed her the picture on screen.
I had not anticipated her response.
Most people I know own a camera of some sort, most people carry one with them in their pockets every day. We are used to seeing pictures of people. Pictures of ourselves. It is a great thing, but it is not something unique or new. We are too used to it. This woman has possibly never seen a picture of herself before. My guess is that in the poor area of Chinnalapuram, few people have a camera.
When she saw the picture of herself, she almost lost it. She started talking to me non-stop, pointing to me and then the camera. She looked shining, surprised. Like she had witnessed a miracle. As she realized again that I did not speak Tamil, she started walking down the street shouting towards everyone she met, pointing at me and my camera, still bursting with excitement.
I still feel that something unexpected and unexplainable happened in that moment. And that and this photo means a lot to me because of it.
