Faces of India

It is said that the best way to know about a country is through its people. So last year when I had a trip to the Golden Triangle of India and "Golden City" of Jaisalmer in the westernmost frontier of India, I took a number of interesting photographs, many of which are snapshots of local people. They will give you a broader view of India.

Some children we met at a city palace. The left boy patted his company's shoulder, saying "Picture, picture!" and soon posed for pictures. They're cute!

Lovely Kids at City Palace

People dining at a mess hall of Sikhism in New Delhi. After the tour guide showed us around the so-called must-sees, I asked him to show me the "real" India and she took us here. It is charitable. People of all communities and religions can have a free meal here. All people had their heads covered with kerchiefs and footwear removed.

People Dining at Sikhism

Of all the kids I met in India, this was my favorite! He is adorable with a baby face, big eyes, and long eyelashes. Indian mommies like painting eyeliners for their kids. His mum obviously noticed that we liked her son and told us that his name is Dimpy. Aha, the portrait on his t-shirt is the kiddy himself. So cute, and he even coordinated to let us take pictures.

Dimpy

After 3-hour drive from Jaisalmer, we got to a little town, only 200 km from Pakistan. This is an attraction for riding a camel, a unique way to see the sunrise. The little boy in the picture led the camel for me. He is a Muslim and doesn't speak English. I was told that he was 12 years old, but due to malnutrition, he looked tiny. This is his part-time job after school. Local people have a very good sense of service. They're very friendly, always smile at you even if you do not exchange. And they obviously know that good service can bring more money. They work for their boss who pays them wages and in the meantime, because of their good service, their boss can have more customers. When we descended from the camels to take photos of sunrise, our camel keeper was lounging on the sands. He seemed so laid back. The Desert is his home.

The Little Boy Who Led the Camel for Me

A girl dressed like an Indian deity by her mother begging for money in front of an Indian temple in Udaipur. It was difficult to say no when confronted by a skinny, smiling little kid with her hands out. After learning from our Indian guide about the problems giving to beggars created, however, I chose not to give out money. Giving to beggars encourages people to beg, which threatens their traditional lifestyle, our guide said. Children who are successful at begging are often taken to the streets, and then become tools for earning money and have no chance to go to school.

A Dressed Girl

The Taj Mahal is just exquisite! Our guide told us that we would forget anything when we saw it. He was right! There, I saw many Muslims. They love taking pictures. Some young students told us that they are university students in New Delhi. Very energetic! P.S. iPhone isn't common in India as it's too expensive for them. Most people use Nokia (made in China), Blackberry...

University Students in New Delhi

A Sikhi with long hair walking past the Meharangarh Fort in Jodhpur. Silhis let their hair grow naturally as a symbol of respect for the perfection of God's creation - India's blend of religion is easier to feel than understand.

A Sikhi with Long Hair

An Indian girl(and me!) with a Bindi (dot) on her forehead between the eyebrows at the Chaumukh Temple. Bindi is an auspicious makeup worn by Hindu girls and women. Traditionally it is red or maroon in color.

An Indian Girl

- By Vera, Product Manager of Odyssey Tours