I started my loop through Rajasthan in Jaipur, generally considered the gateway to Rajasthan. From Jaipur, I went to Pushkar, one of the oldest cities in India and one of five sacred Hindu pilgrimage sites. Because of it's location, significance and history, it's been steadily becoming a destination for tourists as well as pilgrims. I was pretty bummed to get to such an important cultural and historical spot and find Bob Marley prints, pizza and crunchy hippies gushing about how amazing Pushkar is... My exposure to this point had been Delhi and Jaipur, now I felt like I was in some tourist spot that happened to have a lot of Indians working there. I pinned my hopes on Udaipur, my next stop and billed as The Most Romantic Spot in India. Udaipur is a big city, the romantic part is near Lake Pichola and when I was dropped off, I started to wander. Udaipur felt more Indian than Pushkar, but the glut of tourist shops killed any romance the area might possess. I stumbled upon a beautiful hotel with a rooftop bar over looking the lake and finished my day there. The next morning, I wanted to get away from people like me and I headed to the south end of the lake. I posted up on a bench and just sat there watching the world go by. Indian families and groups of friends strolling the promenade, newly engaged couples posing for pictures amidst the sleeping dogs that scattered the boardwalk, a guy on a bike with an old tape player hanging around his neck rode up and down, blasting old Hindi love songs through blown out speakers. This was much better.
A van pulled up and I watched the door fly open as everyone inside pushed to get out. I remember noticing how happy everyone was, thinking I'd be thrilled to get out of that tiny van too. The guy in the picture, crouching down at the far right, was the first person I noticed. He was so tall and gangly and walked with a strange gait; kind of dragging a foot while he also limped on it. While I was watching the tall man, the guy on the opposite side of the picture, wearing aviator sunglasses and vest, crab-walked into my field of view. Crab-walk doesn't do it justice and gives crabs too much credit. What he did was remarkable. Sitting on the ground, feet in front of him, hands wrapped around his ankles; he'd pick up both ankles, move the pair sideways, then his body would follow. He flew from the van to the wall with a huge grin on his face, a guy running on the stubs of his knees was chasing him and more followed. All hurrying to the wall, all with disabilities unlike anything I'd ever seen and all with smiles on their faces. There was one caretaker for all of them and when he wasn't carrying someone, he was helping someone in the their wheelchair or lifting someone onto the wall or taking a picture. Everywhere I looked I saw limbs and stumps flying, bodies hoisting, picture taking, trash talking, laughing, smiling... I couldn't look away.
They'd been on the wall for a bit when I realized, they were trying to get a group shot, so I got up and walked over. I held up my camera and asked if I could take the picture; not for me, but by me, for them. I wanted them to know they had my respect and weren't some freak show. They were so enthusiastic, letting me group them and compose the shot. The lighting was horrible, I don't know if it could have been worse... dead noon with the blazing Indian sun just behind them. So I decided to overexpose the shot, blowing out the background to expose their faces. I was nervous, I wanted to nail it so badly for them. I thought about every setting I wanted, checked my camera and took a test shot. It looked pretty good, so I got closer and started to shoot. When I was done, they asked me to sit with them. So I started to sit down in front of them and they said, "No. Here with us." and they parted, making a hole for me on the wall. They wanted to know about America and California, they wanted me to know all about their home for the disabled, they asked if I could travel with them and after about an hour of visiting, they had to go. We swapped email addresses so I could send the picture to them and parted ways.
If it wasn't for the touristy aspect of Udaipur and Pushkar, I wouldn't have been there that morning and would have missed them, depriving myself of one of the highlights of my trip. I guess this is where I remind myself that it's about the journey and getting lost or disappointed can bring good and wonderful things. I so enjoyed my time with them and am really proud of the picture. Their joy for life, pride in who they are and love for others, crushes and shames me for any insecurities or prejudices I might have. What could I possibly complain about to them? Nothing. Not even crunchy hippies.