I enter a narrow gully (lane) which runs adjacent to a graveyard and I spot Rajinder’s house in the distance. It’s a small house, with wild bushes growing in the backyard. White-washed and clean, it looks welcoming as I step into a corridor which connects to the living room. A child of about six,… Continue reading People of Bharat: Rajindernath, Hyderabad

  Raksha is standing in the balcony of one of the homes where she works as a house help. She agreed to the interview after her employer gave her permission. When I greet her she acknowledges me with a nervous nod. She is a petite, dark-skinned woman in her early thirties (although she looks younger)… Continue reading People of Bharat: Raksha, Ranchi

  Usman Ahmed looks up from his sewing machine and greets me with a smile. He has been expecting me. He offers me a stool and instructs one of his ‘boys’ to fetch a glass of water for me. I sit down and take a look around this tailoring shop owned by Usman. Located in… Continue reading People of Bharat: Usman, Ludhiana

  A few blocks from where I live is a residential colony of low-rise apartments. Its occupants are middle class families. Under the staircase of one such apartment a man is seen ironing clothes at a table. I approach him for my scheduled interview in ‘siesta hours’ of the afternoon, assuming, that like most people,… Continue reading People of Bharat: Govind Kumar, Lucknow

  The recent Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on health and economy. India’s migrant workers have been at the worst end of it. On watching the news about mass migrations, I couldn’t help but wonder and worry as to what would have happened to the respondents of the People of Bharat blog.   Last year… Continue reading People of Bharat: Maheshwara tāta, Hyderabad

  Light is seen tracing its way through the holes in the tarpaulin; the statues within are sun-kissed. I find myself in Domadugu, a village in the outskirts of Telangana. The kaccha home runs wide and is supported by a matrix of wooden logs. Inside, sculpted statues of the deity Ganesh are filed along a… Continue reading People of Bharat: Sushma, Hyderabad

  Among the lesser known lanes of Ranchi stands a small stationary store surrounded by other shops selling a plethora of things. I am drawn to the only shop that has a woman running it, amidst all others. I walk up to her shop and greet Nupur Soni — a slender woman with a soft… Continue reading People of Bharat: Nupur, Ranchi

  Bustling with commotion and cries of vendors, the street of Bijoygarh comes alive in the wee hours of the Kolkata mornings. Sauntering down the street, I see a crowd beginning to circle around a spread of fresh fruits. On reaching closer I catch a glimpse of a man in his early 40s, engaged in… Continue reading People of Bharat: Ramkrishna Mondal, Kolkata

  As I walk along the road in Annaram, Telangana on a hot, blistering afternoon, I almost stumble upon a stone. “Madam sambhalke…” I hear a low voice murmuring close by. I take a moment to notice what was blocking my path; there are three sets of paving bricks stacked together. On one of them… Continue reading People of Bharat: Murli, Hyderabad