TRIBES | Friday, April 2, 2021
#TRIBES: several days after bulldozers arrived - at 4am - and demolished their village in #Vijaypur, the villagers were planning a tribe to visit the Ajay Badoo, the district collector - a magistrate - to complain and asked if I would meet them there. I was just a photographer but the actions of the authorities were outrageous, and I understood the power an external observer could have. A 350km trip from their village. I spoke with their chief about their plans, “Only a few of us will be able to, the women cannot come, who will look after the children?” Two days later… every able-bodied woman in the village is at the office, carrying the children in their arms. #india #gujarat #demolition #tribes #nomads #womenandchildrenfirst #mehsana
THEUSUALSUSPECTS | Friday, April 2, 2021
#THEUSUALSUSPECTS: certain communities were codified as automatic criminals in law, meaning that they could be arrested without evidence or due process, harassed and subject to indignities on the whims of the authorities. Those statutes were overturned and removed - not very long ago - but it is harder to change attitudes and prejudices that have been reinforced for generations. #VSSM worked tirelessly to return these tribes their rights and it often began with voting cards, enshrining their rights to rations and work and legal standing. Appreciate your right to vote, politicians will respect you more if you can and do. #tribes #nomads #denotifiedtribes #gujarat #votercardpower #disenfranchised #india #vote #photojournalism
TRIBES | Wednesday, March 31, 2021
#TRIBES: as many of the nomadic tribes look to settle down, the odds are still against them, often lacking voting rights, historically labelled - in law - as members of a criminal tribe, courtesy of British rule, help comes slowly. Other #Gujaratis are often unaware of their fellow humans in their own state, preferring to explore the rest of the world first. #nomads #india #gujarat #photojournalism
COBRA | Wednesday, March 31, 2021
#COBRA: although their venom is drained, they still bite - picture of that soon - and I’ve never seen anything move so fast in my life. A camera focuses your attention to the degree that photographers frequently end up in risky situations, like being within striking distance of a cobra. This shot shows you how close the chief really was to the snake. The things people did to make a living. #india #gujarat #vadi #tribes #nomads #snake #snakecharming #photojournalism
