The India Post

India was possibly one of the most fascinating and confusing places I have visited. My last trip to India was in 2009 and it was interesting to see how India had changed and how my own views of India had evolved over the years. I had a hard time reconciling many of the things I saw there. I found unimaginable social progress that struggled to flourish in the face of the culture that defined Indian society. I witnessed poverty that made me question how people found the motivation to continue living. I watched a man slap his wife in public during a domestic dispute and was rendered speechless when people on the street curiously watched them and then continued on with their lives. And just when I was convinced that India had become a  competitive, blindly ambitious, and success-hungry society that was apathetic to the needs of those surrounding them, I met people who had devoted their lives to ensure the livelihood of others.

I think my ultimate intellectual/personal/life goal is to understand what makes people tick, what motivates them, and what makes people who they are. The societies we create are simply reflections of ourselves.  Throughout my time in India I was constantly making comparisons to the people of New York, my friends, my environment, and the society I lived in. I was struck by how similar many of the students I met in India were similar to those I met at City College. CCNY is filled with the sons and daughters of immigrants, immigrants themselves, and undocumented students. Many of the students work full-time or part-time or have families and kids who rely on them and are still pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering. Their perseverance is strikingly similar to the millions of kids in India who believe that education is their ticket out of poverty. What was heartbreaking was the lack of educational opportunity available to them. Having worked on and studied education reform throughout high school, I saw their struggles mirrored in the debate about the lack of black and Hispanic students at Stuyvesant. But despite the struggles, wherever  I looked, I found people trying to “make it”. Rich or poor, man or woman, retired or starting-salary status, they are in the pursuit of success–whatever it meant for them. And as a college student still trying to figure out exactly what “success” is, it was eye-opening (and somewhat reassuring) to realize that the doubts and questions I had were shared by people half-way across the world. For all the apathy, beauty, misgivings, and simplicity witnessed during my stay, I found that what motivated people the most was the desire to create an impact in the lives of those around them that would last longer than they did. What made India so dynamic (and interesting and confusing) were the different ways people went about doing so.

This album consists of moments and fragments of Indian life that struck me, made me think, reminded me of my childhood, or simply resonated within me. Many of these photographs were taken out of moving vehicles so excuse the quality. As always, thoughts and feedback are welcome. Enjoy!