After our last shoot in Cochin, our group of ten photographers flew to Ahmadebad and quickly went to work exploring and photographing the ancient city through its narrow lanes and bylanes. Consisting of small neighborhoods, called Pols, the historic district is the backbone and heartbeat of the old city of Ahmedabad. In recent years, families have started moving out to live in more modern houses further from the city center, but many of them still feel a strong attachment to the close-knit communities of the pols that shaped their lives while growing up. Many of them have their own temple at the center of the neighborhood, one or more small shrines for whatever faiths are present.
Many pols are part of a cottage industry, so you will find people sitting on the steps hand-sewing books or crimping silver chains together for traditional jewellery and various other crafts that allow people to add to their livelihood without leaving their homes, thus creating a vibrant community. There are bird feeders in each pol known as chabutro, tall poles that the people of Ahmedabad put up for birds to replace the trees cut down when they built the city, and crevices they built into the walls for birds to use as houses, showing a heartwarming concern for non-human life. The walled city was built before motor vehicles, meant for pedestrians and bicycles, so its small windy streets are best explored on foot. Needless to say it is a fascinating and friendly area in which to photograph.
After two nights in Ahmedabad our intrepid group headed out to the rural areas to enjoy photography in some of the rural areas and the Rann of Kutch. The following photos include a few shots from Cochin, Ahmedabad and Desada. With a good internet connection here in Dungapur, I am able to post the following 22 images. Enjoy, and expect a few more blog posts from this amazing trip!
Many beautiful portraits here, Karl. Gujarat really inspires you!