The day in which no one smiled

The day in which no one smiled

I took these portraits back in September 2023 in one of the many villages between Miranpur and Mawana (Uttar Pradesh). The villages I was crossing that day were very small and rather poor. The people living in them probably never saw a foreigner in person, let alone one at their doorsteps.

Misled by Google Maps, I expected to walk on a larger road but I ended up walking all day on muddy tracks which were mostly traveled by few motorbikes, bicycles, horsecarts, and the occasional car. My 1.90 height, the long stick, the heavy backpack and the camera around my neck made me stand out like a sore thumb.

People in the area were not exactly the friendliest to me that day, or maybe they were simply reacting to the fact that in those days I had many worries and my heart was still burdened with layers of things I didn't need anymore but I wasn't ready to let go yet.

Women would rush to the center of the street to bring their kids who were playing outside to the safety of their homes, away from the mysterious white guy who could only say, when asked about his reason for being there, "Padyatra" (pilgrimage on foot) or "Namaste".

Women avoided eye contact and, on the other hand, many of the men stared at me unfriendly, silently questioning my presence there. No one spoke. No selfie requests and, worst of all, NO SMILES. I kept my head down. Not out of fear -I never felt unsafe- but I simply felt like I was intruding so I just kept walking and minded my own pilgrim's business.

On the Road, you are transparent, people can see you through before you even talk. They all probably knew better than me and could see on my face what I wasn't able to see in my own heart.

Or maybe it was a very grumpy area like I never came across again.

The man portrayed in the photo was one of the few people met on that strange day who smiled at me. He was chilling on his khat intent on smoking the day away, even though it was early in the morning. We didn't communicate much, there wasn't much to say, really. But he smiled and let me take his picture. And that was enough to brighten my day.

I thanked him, touched his feet in a gesture of reverence, grateful for the first smile of the day, and walked away just like I would have done a thousand other times in the coming months after stopping for a couple of minutes to chat with someone met on the road.