North India through the eyes of Pascal Mannaerts

Words and images by the amazing Brussels based photographer, Pascal Mannaerts.

On his trip in Northern India:

After ten trips to India, having a chaï in front of the New Delhi railway station this morning by sunrise, I lost myself in my thoughts, without being able to control anything. I looked around, I smiled and I realized that, after having spent so much time of my life in India, this country and its people still fascinate me as much as on that very first day I came here, some 15 years ago. During all these years, I have moved to so many places around the world, but I have always come back to India.

India is an endless path. It's like a never ending book, a magic box full of surprises leading to new experiences. I could travel on its roads forever. Travelling through India feels like being a journey within, inside our deepest mysteries.

The first image in this post is of a Bhopa girl. I love her story...as somehow it mirrors my own (being a minority, living in an artists colony lol). Her beadwork reminds of Afghan tribal beadwork, and the more I learn and find other cultures, the more I see how beadwork connects us.

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Words by Pascal Mannaerts

Bhopa girl, Jaisalmer. Considered to belong to low casts, the Bhopas come from Rajasthan. They used to go from village to village to animate the festivals and sing the local legends. They perpetuated the oral tradition in rural areas. Today, they are musicians, dancers, storytellers, puppeteers, and live in «artists’ colonies», especially around the city of Jaisalmer.