Gujarat, India: Tribal Village LifeTo fully experience traditional village life in India, a photographic trip to the western state of Gujarat is needed. It is here in the Gujarat tribal belt of India that these farmers, artisans, and skilled craftsmen are able to maintain their ancestral traditions while still being in touch with the modern world. There are over 5 million people in tribal communities and we will photograph a select few where the culture is most intact. Cottage industry is one of the major occupations of the villages of Gujarat and jewelry making, wood carving, lacquer work, pottery and embroidery are all practiced on a small scale.
The lifestyle that we will document on this intensive photo documentary expedition will show a clear division of the sexes. We will photograph the Rabari men who are tall, wear golden earrings, are well built as they plough their fields, raise roofs, and tend their cattle in this rugged terrain. Photographing the women in the early morning light as they do housework, fetch water from wells and plaster their homes with mud and cow dung is a visually compelling experience. The Garasias tribal women have gold caps on their teeth which is seen as a beauty aid and they wear gold ornaments, on their wrists and gold or silver "Sankla" on their ankles. We will be documenting their lives from early morning until sun down. If you love portraiture and documentary photography this trip is for you. Tour ItineraryDAY 1: January 9- AHMEDABAD
You will be personally greeted at the Ahmedabad international airport and taken to the hotel. Gujarat is a dry state and those wishing to drink alcoholic beverages can easily get a permit in the airport. A copy of your passport and 15 minutes of your time is required. The alcohol permit office is located in the airport at the Police Department office. We will have a meet and greet dinner and an over view of the trip. We will meet our local guide Pravin Dangera who will be with us the entire trip. He is the president of the Kutch guiding association, a social activist, owns a Royal Enfield motorcycle, has connections with everyone and will be our translator. On this photography expedition there will be much social interaction. O/N Holiday Inn Express-Ahmedabad DAY 2: January 10- AHMEDABAD In the morning we will do the heritage walk in the old section of Ahmedabad. Photographic opportunities include shooting washer women, the booksellers, tuk-tuk drivers washing their vehicles and the Swaminarayan Temple. These narrow lanes are better shot with a wide angle lens. The afternoon shoot will be at the Manek Chowk bazaar shooting the spice merchants, clothing, jewelry shops, old market at Lal Darwaja and the numerous vibrant Ahmedabad mosques. Dinner in the hotel. O/N Holiday Inn Express Ahmedabad DAY 3: January 11- DASADA After breakfast we will make the 70 mile ride to the Modhera sun temple. This edifice built in 1926 is know as, " Poetry in Stone". From there we will proceed to the Bahucharaji Temple which is 20 minutes away. This Hindu Temple is dedicate to the Goddess Bahuchraji and worshipped by all of the Hindu faith, we will encounter many Indian pilgrims. If possible we will have a private photo shoot with the Hajira community. These cross dressing men/women are considered the third sex and socially ostracized. O/N Rann Riders Lodge DAY 4: January 12- DASADA We will spend the day visiting the Mir tribe in the surrounding area in their encampments and small rural villages. The women wear heavy silver necklaces and are known for their detailed intricate embroidery. The Mir women also wear brightly colored clothing, many hard plastic bracelets, and are extremely outgoing in nature. O/N Rann Riders Lodge DAY 5: January 13- DASADA We will have an early morning jeep drive to the Wild Ass Sanctuary at Little Rann of Kutch. This is the largest wildlife sanctuary in India and home to flamingos, pelicans, cranes and emu's. We will also photograph the Agariya people who harvest salt. Returning to our lodge for lunch we will have a model shoot afterwards. We will have another photography opportunity in the late afternoon in a neighboring tribal village. O/N Rann Riders Lodge DAY 6: January 14- BHUJ We will leave our lodge at an early hour and make the six hour, 200 mile journey to Bhuj. Today being the Makarshakranti /Uttrayan kite festival in Gujarat we will encounter people flying kites in every village and town along the way. We will also photograph Rabari gypsy nomads in caravans with their small animals and camels. We will do a late afternoon walk in the old city of Bhuj. Our hotel is owned by a Jain family and only vegetarian food is on the menu. O/N Regenta Resort DAY 7: January 15- BHUJ After breakfast at 7:30 am we will drive to Bhujodi which is seven miles away. This is a small, pleasant, rural village of weavers. Over 200 weavers reside here and their crafts are in great demand on the international market. Our next stop will be to Ajarkhpur to photograph the process of block printing with natural and vegetable dyes. We will return to Bhuj for lunch and then go out afterwards to photograph the Rabari and Ahir tribes in the villages of Dhaneti and Padhar. The Rabari women wear heavy brass earrings, black full-length shawls, have tattoos of magical symbols on their chests, neck and arms. The men wear white turbans, short white waistcoats and always have walking sticks These villages are 20 miles away from our hotel. Dinner will be in Bhuj city at the Palace Hotel where the thali is the best in the state of Gujarat. O/N Regenta Resort DAY 8: January 16- BHUJ We will leave after breakfast and travel 40 miles south to Zarpara to photograph farm workers. The Gadhvi and Barot communities reside there and are easily photographed. They are know as the fiercest warriors and best farmers. Lunch will be at the Mandvi Beach Resort. Mandvi is the largest wooden boat building port in India. There we will photograph the boat builders, the massive wooden boats under construction, the ruins of the guesthouses, sunset overlooking the Arabian Sea, the old narrow market streets and vegetable market in Mandvi. We will return to Bhuj and either eat a vegetarian dinner at the hotel or go to local restaurant that has a wider non-veg selection. O/N Regenta Resort DAY 9: January 17- NORTH KUTCH We wil drive north to photograph the various Banni villages. The Wadha community is known fro their laquer work, and we can shoot them as they do their craft and work the kiln. We will be having a home stay at the compound of a Marwada family. The round, cube shaped, simple mud brick rooms are called Bhunga. We will visit the adjoining Hodka village. Evening slide show/ photo critique O/N Hodka Zeel Homestay DAY 10: January 18 - NORTH KUTCH We will travel inland to photograph the ornately dressed, nose ring wearing Jat tribe. We will shoot them and the men herding buffalo in the fields. We will have a boxed lunch and spend the day documenting them. At sun set we will proceed to the northern fringe to shoot the white desert. The blue sky and great expanse will be amazing if it is a full moon. It is a true lunar landscape and near the border with Pakistan. O/N Hodka Zeel Homestay DAY 11: January 19 - NORTH KUTCH The day will be spent photographic the tribal life of the Meghwal and Kumhar people.These pastoralists have strong features and many have blue and green eyes and they reside in large clans. We will return to our camp site for lunch and the sunset photo shoot will be at the highest peak in the Kutch desert. We will have a local music group entertain us after dinner. O/N Hodka Zeel Homestay DAY 12: January 20- MULI We will break camp and leave early and make the 250 mile road trip to Muli. Along the way we will see the largest wind turbine field in India as well as salt workers. Muli is an absolutely wonderful small rural village that has great architecture, extremely friendly people and real ambiance. The doors, windows, colors and textures in this village make for amazing photography opportunities. We will attend the Aarti ceremony in the Hindu temple then have dinner. We will be spending the night at a recently renovated palace. O/N Ambika Niwas Palace DAY 13: January 21- MULI The group will be given a photography assignment this morning. Leaving in groups of two at staggered intervals starting at 6:45 am we will document a "morning in the life of a rural village". The village is directly outside of the palace gates. Shooting the coffee stalls, newspaper vendors, kids brushing their teeth in public, the street sweepers, vegetable stalls being set up, people in morning prayer, the cattle roaming the narrow lanes all make for a great photographic experience. We will return to the palace for a late breakfast. We will have another photo shoot in the afternoon at a wooden Hindu temple in an adjoining village. Farewell dinner and slide show in the palace courtyard. O/N Ambika Niwas Palace DAY 14: January 22- AHMEDABAD After breakfast we will make the 3 hour drive to Ahmedabad. We will have lunch as a group and say our farewells. Transportation to the airport will be provided. |
ExperiencesThe Banjara women are the most colorful and elaborately dressed tribal group in India and we will photograph them in their homes.
Photograph street life in the old section of Ahmadabad which was founded in 1411. Capture images of the stately Rabari men in their white dhotis and golden earrings. Shoot the semi-nomadic Jats tribe who live in remote Kutch in their tented villages. DetailsDates
Jan 9 - January 22, 2015 Photo Leader Jeremy Woodhouse Wait List Three meals per day Single supplement: $800 Couples Discount: $300 Registration Form Deposit $1,000.00 Group Size 10 |