Gesture and Color
Gujarat, India 2009
A simple gesture by a man with outrageous red hair makes this photo interesting to me. It’s the colors: tints of soft reds and blues that please my eye, but the man gives the photo the spark of life that every photo needs.
This was shot in a temple where old Hindu priests came to spend their last days being cared for by young men like the one in the photo. The young men were full of life. That alone must have been therapeutic for the elderly priests…that and the glorious Indian sun shining each day on colors of soft reds and blues.
I’m re-watching, on Netflix, Paul Scott’s “The Jewel in the Crown”. I’ve read all of Scott’s works about the English in India during the Raj. The English loved the warm and vibrant Indian climate although they didn’t care so much for the Indians themselves. When India gained independence most of the English returned home to damp, gray England. They no longer enjoyed the luxuriant gardens, the large houses, the servants. For some of them, it was a comedown.
I recommend Scott’s books or just watch on Netflix.