India Photos

About

My photos of India date back to 1990, arriving in and departing from New Delhi. During my time there, I journeyed through northern India and into the Himalayas, visiting several smaller towns including Mussoorie, Chamba, and onto Bharmour before continuing deeper into the mountains.

The mountain roads were extremely narrow and exposed, with sheer drops of thousands of feet beside them at times. When I looked from the left side of the vehicle, I could not see the road beneath me at all. One wrong move could have been fatal.

It was an unforgettable experience. I took some excellent photographs during the journey, although photographing the roads themselves was almost impossible from inside a moving vehicle. Part of the trip took me through the area around Bharmour in Himachal Pradesh.

Most of the photographs in this collection were taken in that general region. The final image, however, was taken by my father in another part of India during the 1960s.

Reaching the Himalayas was an adventure in itself. I travelled for an entire day and night on the roof of a train from Delhi after failing to realise that a separate seat reservation was required. My ticket allowed me to board the train but not a seat.

Despite the circumstances, the journey was magical. Fireflies moved through the darkness around me, and although the days were surprisingly mild, the temperature became quite cold at night.

I later boarded another train that came under attack from rioting students positioned on a hillside above the railway. They hurled rocks at the passing carriages, and one narrowly missed me while I was standing near an open doorway. The man beside me was struck and collapsed.

The most dangerous part of the journey came later, when I went trekking alone in the Himalayas and was caught in the first blizzard of the year. Snow quickly covered the track I had been following until it disappeared completely.

I initially chose the wrong route and descended into a gully containing a large waterfall that I could not safely climb down. I was forced to retrace my steps uphill and back into the blizzard and try again. On my second attempt, I found a route that took me low enough to get below the snowline. Once there, I was able to locate the track again and continue to safety.

This trip took place in 1990 and my photos of India capture that moment in time. I also have some older photos that data back to 1963 taken in Kerala, by my dad.