A farmer tending to his field in rural Maharashtra

A farmer tending to his fields amongst the sugarcane fields with his goats for company.

Old Rajasthani lady

An old lady from Rajasthan, a poor one. The best part of taking photographs of old people as the lines on their face show how they have lived and who they are.
This one is a curious expression!

She is looking a little worried now that photographs are being taken of her! Her brow is furrowed and no doubt she has faced a lot of hardship in her life.

Her expression shows that she is not reconciled to it although not very happy about the photos! She looks resigned, and a little sad too.

You might also like to see sketches of different expressions: Expressions of irritation, annoyance and anger or if you are looking for more portraits you can check out:  Old Rural Indian Men portraits and expressions
Or try all the posts filed under people for interesting photographs of people from all over the world, including from Rajasthan.

Plucking tea in a tea garden in India

Women in the north-east of India plucking tea in a tea garden.

A long shot of the picturesque tea garden with tall trees to give shade to the tree bushes.

You might also like Tea Gardens in Kerala
Or Rubber Plantations in Kerala or Palm Plantations of Malaysia or Man and Bullock cultivating field  or Sugarcane fields or Rice fields near Chennai

Washing clothes by hand

These are pictures of people washing clothes manually in Rural India. This first one is of a woman in an orange sari scrubbing clothes with her hand, lathering the clothes, as she sits on her haunches near pots of water drawn from a well. All these people in rural India use natural sources of water to wash clothes, like wells and rivers.

Women bending over buckets of clothes soaked in soapy water next to a well.

An old man scrubbing clothes with a detergent bar next to a river.

A long shot of the same man sitting hunched on the river side washing clothes by hand.

You might also like Clothes Lines or Dhobi Ghat in Pune or Istriwala or Istrivala or try other photographs of different aspects of life in Rural India.
More images of women manually washing clothes: Women filling water from village well in India

Goatherd in India

A Goatherd with his goats in a rural part of India

You might also like Cowherds in Rural India Or Yaks in Ladakh or Elephants on the streets of India
Camel cart and Bullock cart or try the label "Animals" for pictures of wild as well as pets.

Tribal woman in a city

An Indian tribal woman in Pune city. She has drums with her. She sings and asks for alms.

You might also like Portraits of a Gujarati tribal woman or African orgin tribe of Gujarat the Siddi  or The Tarpa Wind Instrument of Indian Tribes from Maharashtra, or Adivasi Dancers from Matheran or Pilgrims singing and playing the Manjira musical instrument
Or Village women from India - sketches and silhouettes or Rural women carrying water and firewood or Tribal women in India

Indian Men Portraits

Some pictures speak a thousand words and these are such pictures.

Mehendi is used for dying hair commonly in India. This man has hair which appears a reddish colour because of it.

A man with a thoughtful expression in rural India.

A man in the traditional Muslim wear with the white cap and beard.

Man drinking chai or tea in a small glass which is common on the streets of India.

You might also like: 

Old Rural Indian Men portraits and expressions or Elderly Indian men in ethnic clothes or A village in Maharashtra Old and elderly women in India or images of Old men reading newspapers in India or Pilgrims singing and playing the Manjira musical instrument

Portraits of a Gujarati tribal woman

She is an elderly Indian lady, and poor. You can tell that she has had a tough life. Standing and staring. Wearing her traditional Gujarati dress she was seen on the Somnath temple grounds in Gujarat. Gujarati women wear colourful clothes as opposed to the dull whites and blues of the Gujarati men. This woman is wearing a nose ring and has a large tikka on her forehead. The bright red and green (traditional colours of Gujarati textiles) pallav is covering her head. Her arm is tattooed, common amongst tribals.

Her son is by her side. By the looks of him this woman could not be more than fifty, but looks older due to the hard life and exposure to the sun. Or is he her grandson?

You might also like pictures of Women filling water from village well in India or Tribal women in India or Rural women carrying water and firewood or Village women in Gwalior District, India
or Women in burkhas or burqas - photos or Woman Gardener in India or Mothers and children
Or photos of Young girls enjoying an ice-cream bar or Young Women Walking Silhouettes or Silhouette profile of an Indian beauty
Or check out the scores of photographs of Indian Women on this blog.

Covered Hindu women

Traditional Hindu women in a few states in North India cover their faces with their sari pallav. This is unheard of in South or East of India. It is believed that this is due to the Mughal influence.

A closeup of women in red saris with their heads covered.

Gujarati women with heads covered.

Gujarati tribals at the Somnath temple.

Masked girls and women of Pune or Women in burkhas or burqas - photos or Women in Burkhas - Silhouettes or Silhouette profile of an Indian beauty or Tribal women in India or check out the scores of photographs of Indian Women on this blog.

African orgin tribe of Gujarat the Siddi

The Siddi or the Siddhi are people of African origin, primarily from South East Africa who migrated to the Indian subcontinent almost 2000 years ago. They are thought to descend from the Bantu people. They did not arrive in the Indian subcontinent of their own free will, but were brought as slaves by Arab and Portuguese merchants. This ethnic group can be found in Karnataka and Gujarat and some are also believed to be in Karachi, Pakistan. They are Sufi Muslims although some groups have converted to either Christianity or Hinduism.

From the maternal side, the Siddi peoples have mixed blood, mainly Indian. This intermingling of blood is believed to have happened in the last 200-300 years.

These are pictures of the Siddhi tribe from Gujarat, India. They are performing a tribal dance.

Two brightly painted faces.

The Siddi dancing around the fire.

You might also like The Tarpa Wind Instrument of Indian Tribes from Maharashtra, or Adivasi Dancers from Matheran or Pilgrims singing and playing the Manjira musical instrument or Martial Arts from Kerala

Little girl carrying firewood in the forest

A working girl. Barely ten years old. And carrying wooden logs almost as big as her.

These photographs were taken at the edge of the Gir forest.

Mother and daughter walking home after collecting firewood

The mother too is carrying a fairly heavy load. And balancing it on her head. No hands! Must have been doing it from childhood.

You might also like to see pictures of Child Labour or Working children or Children playing without toys or
pictures of Mothers and children or see the many pictures filed on this website on Children.

If you are looking for image of women try these posts: Urban women workers carrying loads on their heads
Rural women carrying water and firewood or Women construction workers in India or Tribal women in India or photographs of Women filling water from village well in India or Village women in Gwalior District, India

For sketches try this post: Village women from India - sketches and silhouettes

Old men in India

A group of old men in rural India relaxing on a concrete bench. Their sticks lie next to them.

A large group of old and elderly men in a village gathered for a chat.

The Old Man in the doorway. 

An old man with white sparse hair outside his house.

Related Images: Old Rural Indian Men portraits and expressions or Elderly Indian men in ethnic clothes
or A village in Maharashtra Old and elderly women in India
More images: Old men reading newspapers in India or Pilgrims singing and playing the Manjira musical instrument or Destitutes and beggars - portraits of old men or check out all the photos displayed under the label Men.

Indian Couples

Traditional Indian couples stay married forever, relatively speaking. Separation happens, but divorce is rare.

Rural couples plod on. And it's not about conversation so much as doing things together. It is common to see the woman to walk a few steps behind her husband but that does not make her a stay at home housewife. In rural India, the woman often works shoulder to shoulder with her man on the farm.

These are photographs of elderly couples.

This is a couple from Maharashtra, India.

A couple from North India.

An old couple. The old man in white and the woman in a green sari.

Another photograph of the same couple. This time the man's face is to the camera.

A village couple trying to hail a rickshaw.

An elderly Muslim couple from India.

Related pictures: Elderly Indian men in ethnic clothes or Tribal women in India  or for more pictures of Indian rural people, click: Rural People
You might also like A village in Maharashtra or Huts in an Indian village or Photos of thatched huts from the Chennai area or Serene scenes from the life of rural India

Old Rural Indian Men portraits and expressions

Older people's faces tell us a lot because as they age their expressions get set into their features and you can tell a lot about the personality just from seeing that set expression. You can see this evident in the differing expression of these elderly men.

A slightly impatient look to this man. Impatient but tolerant or stoic. The eyes tell us that he has suffered in his life. This while cap is typical of Maharashtrian rural men or farmers in Maharashtra.

A man without much expression on his face. You can tell that he is reserved.

This man smiles easily and does not seem conscious of the camera. You can see his wizened and lined face, years of hard physical labour etched on his face. But he is a happy man despite the hardship.

A slightly disheveled old man. His expressions is fairly unconcerned, relaxed, not paying attention. As if he is thinking of something else. He seems to be a person who has distanced himself from life a little for reasons unknown.

A happy and smiling old man who has seen much happiness. Contentment and fulfillment is written on this face.

You might also like to see sketches of different expressions: Expressions of irritation, annoyance and anger
Or, if you are looking for more portraits you can check out: Destitutes and beggars - portraits of old men
Or try all the posts filed under people for interesting photographs of people.
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Children playing in the river water in rural India

Trying to escape from the summer heat, these kids are frolicking in the river on a hot sunny day. A man is also bathing in the river. In the villages the river is used for washing clothes and at times utensils, bathing as well as for swimming.

Kids enjoying themselves playing in this shallow river adjoining a small village.

Another photograph of children playing in the river water.

(Higher resolution photos of the above are available).

You might also like Street kids playing cricket or Children playing Holi in semi-rural India or A minute in the life of a street kid

More Images of children playing, working and studying: Children playing without toys or Child Labour or Working children or Photographs of children studying outdoors or Child Beggars

Or try the label "Children" for all pictures of kids on this website.

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Knife Sharpener from India

Here is how a poor man is making his living - sharpening knives and other objects. He lives and works in the same area. The first pictures speaks a thousand words about his lifestyle. The wood stoves, the small bed and the hanging blanket. Pots and pans lying around.

The knife sharpening tool or machine he is using is rarely seen in the modern world. It's an old machine.

The knife sharperner is checking to see whether the sickle is sharpened enough.

Sparks flying off the sickle he is sharpening.

You might also like: Indian Cobblers or Artisans in India or Glass making - photos of a glass maker at work or Indian Artisans making small statues or Masons at Work

There are also a lot of photographs of other occupations ranging from weaving, tailoring to painting and you can check out the label Occupations  or Skilled Labour

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