Life in India is identified with spirituality. Its 4,500 years of vibrant cultural spirit and multifaceted medley of religions continue to impact the contemporary fabric of life and society.
While almost 80% of the population is Hindu, other faiths are also practiced. India’s small but vibrant Christian community is arguably one of the oldest in the world. Tradition tells us that they were first evangelized by the Apostle Thomas, and the 16th century Portuguese definitely found an active and worshiping Christian family when they first arrived in India. Today, irrespective of religious-cultural diversity, universal values are, ostensibly, shared and practiced with respect and dignity throughout the country.
However, India struggles with the oppression of its past, and how it informs and continues into its present. Women, children and those in poverty are at risk, as are many of those who are not Hindu. Hundreds of thousands of people now resist subjugation by the rigid caste system that has controlled them for over three millennia and, even today, renders them socially invisible.
So we explore in these few images 21st century India through the eyes of her most vulnerable.
Women. Children. Dalits. Religious Minorities.
