Matthieu Paley | Archives

Show Navigation
  • Archives
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • Contact
All Galleries

Highway Walkers - India

32 images Created 5 Feb 2021

Text and images by ©Matthieu Paley

"What goes on in the mind of the dedicated wanderer? Is it about a spiritual quest, a need for clarity, healing? That question has always fascinated me. 
Some of my greatest memories have happened while on monthlong treks. It may have just been the endorphins speaking, but I experienced moments where my life seemed a clear line—I knew where I stood and where I wanted to go.
On a long stretch of highway between Delhi and Maharashtra, I first saw a fleeting figure on the periphery of my vision. It seemed odd … Was someone really walking on the highway? Even in India, it’s not easy to stop on the freeway, so I drove on.
I saw another on the opposite side of the road. At the last second, I veered into the exit lane, reversed the car and asked my family to please wait.
Trucks were speeding by. The heat coming from the highway was intense. The man was covered in blankets, wearing two different shoes. No bag, no water. He had a determined look on his face. "My name is Binod Yasin. I am walking ahead," he said when I introduced myself.
"But Binod is a Hindu name and Yasin is a Muslim name?" I asked, slightly confused at the combination of the two.
"Yes. Does it matter? We are all under one," he replied.
I took a picture and he walked on. What a strange contrast between his enlightened quest and the fresh asphalt below our feet. I was hooked."

Full story here : https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/paley-india-highway-walkers
Next
View: 25 | All
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Loading ()...

  • I met Deepak Sunita, a lone pilgrim, in Madyah Pradesh. He carries holy water from the Narmada River in his tin. Life can be simple.<br />
A Hindu pilgrim circumambulating the holy Naramda river.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF21600.jpg
  • Every day, Ajit walks from his village to the top of a slope on the highway, where trucks are forced to drive at a snail's pace. He waves, and the driver might just throw a coin to him out of the window."That's how I make my living, simple ... and nothing else," he says.<br />
Uttar Pradesh Province.
    DSCF24164.jpg
  • Like many Rajasthani shepherds, Lakan crosses large stretches of India, feeding his herd of over 400 goats along the way.<br />
Rajasthan Province.
    DSCF22946.jpg
  • "My name is Om, only Om." He was young and smiling. "I left before sunrise. I am walking from my home in Hoshangabad to the temple of Salkanpur, up on that hill. You see, I just got a job, I need to thank the gods! İ will return home tonight." I had not realized he was barefoot, wearing a freshly ironed shirt but no shoes.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF22935.jpg
  • Four brothers—Barge, Kothar Kar, Talas Kar Sandip, and B.R. Khed Kar—are following the Narmada River on a pligrimage. They have been on the road for over 1,700 miles.<br />
Hindu pilgrims circumambulating the holy Naramda river.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF20228.jpg
  • Ravi talked very quietly, like he was afraid to be loud. He said yes to my offer of water. He didn't want anything else. I put the bottle next to him on the road and he looked up. He had scars on his belly. It seems that most of these highway walkers are ghosts to the passersby. <br />
Uttar Pradesh Province.
    DSCF24211.jpg
  • You couldn’t miss him—such colors! On his throat is written the word "Krishna." He is a traditional performance artist known as a behurupiya. "I am Raje Krishna on my way to the temple, that’s who I am!"<br />
Rajasthan Province.
    DSCF22831.jpg
  • On a spiritual quest.<br />
I met him between two downpours. After the dryness of the cotton fields around Nagpur, it felt so good to see green wheat when entering Madhya Pradesh. I look back at the picture, and he reminds me so much of some of the hobos I met across the United States—a sack tied to a wooden stick, ripped jeans, and a sparkle in his eyes.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF20072.jpg
  • On a spiritual quest.<br />
I saw him at the last second and had to reverse the car to get back to him. He was covered in blankets. Two different shoes. No bag, no water. "My name is Binod Yasin, I am walking ahead."<br />
Maharashtra province.
    DSCF19949.jpg
  • She looked confused, one trembling hand on her mouth. I wanted to talk to her, make her feel comfortable. She mumbled, avoiding eye contact. I can only try and imagine her life. I felt sad I couldn't fully reach out to her.<br />
Uttar Pradesh Province.
    DSCF24088.jpg
  • Hindu pilgrims circumambulating the holy Naramda river.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF24073.jpg
  • Hindu pilgrim couple circumambulating the holy Naramda river.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF23068.jpg
  • A Hindu pilgrim couple circumambulating the holy Naramda river.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF20243.jpg
  • A Vagabond.<br />
Chhattisgarh province.
    DSCF21586.jpg
  • Hindu pilgrims circumambulating the holy Naramda river.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF21643.jpg
  • A Hindu pilgrim circumambulating the holy Naramda river.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF21886.jpg
  • A Vagabond.<br />
Chhattisgarh province.
    DSCF21938.jpg
  • A Vagabond.<br />
Chhattisgarh province.
    DSCF21940.jpg
  • A barefoot Hindu pilgrim circumambulating the holy Naramda river.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF22447.jpg
  • Troubadours going to entertain the crowd with their bull at Amartkantak.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF20222.jpg
  • A Hindu pilgrim circumambulating the holy Naramda river.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF20224.jpg
  • A Hindu pilgrim circumambulating the holy Naramda river. He carries water from the river in his tin can and all his belongings on his back.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF20227.jpg
  • Vagabond on a  spiritual quest.<br />
Uttar Pradesh Province.
    DSCF24541.jpg
  • Like many Rajasthani shepherds, this shepherd crosses large stretches of India, feeding his herd of several thousand cows along the way.<br />
Rajasthan Province.
    DSCF25010.jpg
  • A Hindu pilgrim circumambulating the holy Naramda river.<br />
Madhya Pradesh Province.
    DSCF21906.jpg
Next
View: 25 | All