Photographer's Note
From the moment I arrived in Agra, I felt I was looked upon by the locals as nothing else but a potential source of income. Let me quote what one of my TE friends once said about that city: “A foreigner was seen as someone whose money should change hands as soon as possible. Nowhere else in the country have I ever had such negative experiences and Agra will always remain for me the city of the biggest liars and cheaters.” That was exactly my perception… well… at least for the first 24 hours.
There are 2 stories I’d like to share here (apologies to those who prefer photographers’ notes short and succinct). One relates to the photo I have uploaded, the other one to the above-mentioned feelings about Agra.
The image was taken in Mehtab Bagh gardens (the green space you can see on the other side of Yamuna river in this photo: https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/India/photo1596203.htm). As I was admiring the panoramic view of the Taj, a local lady carrying what looked like a bulky but rather light bundle on her head approached me and whispered: “You want photo?” I must say, I was pleasantly surprised as, although people in India rarely refuse their photos to be taken, they don’t normally offer before you ask. I suspected of course that she was after a pecuniary reward but thought she was just passing by, saw me, and it occurred to her there was a few bob to be made out of an accidental encounter with a camera-wielding foreigner. I took her portrait, duly handed over a 100 rupee note and watched the lady walk away… 10 metres. She stopped under a tree, her load still on her head and it was obvious she was waiting for another “client”. It explained why her bag was light and she was not in a hurry. This was her workplace and she made a living by posing for tourists. That’s what Agra is like – you will be surrounded by all sort of hustlers, prospective taxi drivers and wannabe guides. But meeting someone who was standing all day with a bag on their head in order to attract photographers was quite new and original.
As for the second story…
I don’t know where to start. Maybe like this: on the afternoon of my second day in Agra I got a tuk tuk from Agra Fort to Mehtab Bagh. The driver offered (for a fee) to wait until I finish my visit and then take me back to my hotel.
No. I think I really should say: I have a very stupid habit of keeping my phone in the back pocket of my trousers. I’m not talking about my smartphone, but a cheap mobile I love to travel with because it’s simple to use and holds charge for a week or longer. It cost 20 pounds but should I lose it, it’s not possible to be immediately replaced while travelling across India. Neither is the sim card inside.
As I got off the rickshaw outside my hotel, I waved goodbye to the driver then watched him disappear into the distance. Then reached to my back pocket to check the time and, yes, you guessed – I found nothing. My recklessness fired back. I lost not just the phone but also the only way of communicating with my friend whose wedding I was attending in 3 days.
As I was standing there, upset and frustrated, I was approached by a driver from a nearby tuk tuk stand. “What have you lost, Madam?” he asked. I explained I had dropped my phone at the back of another tuk tuk. What followed was a totally unexpected sequence of events.
“Get in”, barked my new driver (his name was Sanjay, as I found out later) and off we went, almost flying along the streets at a speed I’d never previously observed in a tuk tuk. We first stopped outside Agra Fort, where, having asked around, Sanjay quickly established which tuk tuk had picked up a foreigner to go to Mehtab Bagh a couple of hours earlier. Then it was just a matter of finding out the driver’s mobile number. Soon, Sanjay was on the phone to that very person and confirmed my lost property had been located and the driver was on his way back to hand it in. But we didn’t stop at that, to just sit there and wait. Soon we were on our way, and not just us, we were now accompanied by aother tuk tuk, again driving like crazy, to meet the driver returning my phone on his way.
Half an hour later, I was clutching my phone, still in disbelieve that what I had experienced really had happened. I asked Sanjay how much I owed him for the ride, fully expecting a (completely justified and well-deserved) 500-1000 rupee bill. But he only said: “Nothing. It’s just my wish for the guests to be happy in our country”. I did eventually convince him to accept a small fare and booked him to take me to the train station the following morning. I also gave some money to the other two drivers (the one that had accompanied us in our search and the one who had returned my phone). But those tiny amounts of rupees are nothing compared to what they did. They saved me a lot of trouble and, even more importantly, restored my waning faith in humanity.
And, if that wasn’t priceless enough… they provided me with a unique unforgettable adventure to share on TE. ;-)
Critiques | Translate
Fis2
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 14549 W: 164 N: 25272]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-g-g.gif){kind=small}
(169847) 2021-11-14 14:12
Czesc Kasia!
Super scenka, kobieta z takim ladunkiem na glowie to niesamowity widok.
Zawsze sie zastanawiam jak one to robia.
Fajny kadr, ciekawy stroj kobiety i drugi plan.
Lubie swiatlo, kolory i mgle.
Pozdrawiam.
Krzysztof
P.S.
Niesamowite historie!
PiotrF
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 5830 W: 2 N: 11644]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-n-g.gif){kind=small}
(54246) 2021-11-14 15:05
Czesc Kasiu
Opowiesci, ktore dodajesz do zdjec pozwalaja zrozumiec sytuacje, okolicznosci powstania zdjecia ale tez poznac kraj, region czy codzienne zycie ludzi. Sa czesto wazniejsze niz sam kadr nad ktorym mozna by przejsc do porzadku dziennego jako ciekawy, poprawnie zrobiony technicznie etc. Sprzyja temu sposob podrozowania, ktory preferujesz, a historie same sie przydarzaja. Dobrze, ze oprocz tych negatywnych znajduja sie tez pozytywne co podnosi jak piszesz wiare w ludzi.
Zycze jak najwiecej tych drugich pozytywnych historii z odwiedzanych regionow
pozdrawiam
Piotr
PaulVDV
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 6785 W: 24 N: 16026]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-s-g.gif){kind=small}
(62810) 2021-11-14 16:04
Hello Kasia,
I honestly don't remember that I wrote you that quote from your first paragraph, but it fully reflects my memory of my visit to Agra in 1995. So I guess I putted it once that way.
I've been to India four times in my life and have enjoyed every trip immensely.
But the meetings with locals in Agra were really a disappointment. Nowhere else in the country have I had that feeling. On the contrary.
I will give here two examples of the difficulties you had to overcome.
As mentioned, I was there in 1995, a time when online booking for your overnight stay was not yet possible. Fax machines existed and you could find the telephone or fax numbers of some hotels in certain travel guides.
But basically, every traveller tried not to arrive in Agra too late in the day and upon arrival go as quickly as possible to the hotel where you wanted to stay.
At the train station most travellers found it impossible to find a tuk tuk (usually a bicycle rickshaw at the time) to take you to the hotel you found in your travel guide. Either the driver nodded yes but took you to another hotel, or you were told that just before your arrival they learned that the hotel was already full or that it had burned down the day before or whatever...
The same was true during my stay in Agra.
You could take a rickshaw to, for example, the Taj Mahal, but never to a restaurant of which you had read good reviews or where you were supposed to meet with other travellers.
Then a story was told that their previous customers had become very ill in that restaurant or that it no longer existed or again the story of the burned down business.
The solution was to first look on your map for a monument or something well known that was in the proximity of your hotel or restaurant you wanted to go to, then convince a rickshaw driver that you absolutely needed to be there because you agreed with others to meet on that place and then from there continue on foot.
The rickshaw drivers did want you as a customer, but only to go to their friends' hotels or restaurants.
Again, these are experiences I've had in no other location in India, not in the north, not in the south, not on my travels in the 90's and not on my most recent travels.
I'm very positive about travelling in India. But there was one place that was really not easy for foreigners and that was Agra.
Your second story is a fantastic experience and one that makes travelling so great. With such experiences, your journey can't go wrong anymore.
Those are the kinds of stories that make you love a place and people and take any inconveniences easily.
In short, I'm an India lover but have one exception :)
As for the photo: I would have liked to have taken this one myself.
We can see what's sticking out of the load on the lady's head. I hope that isn't too much of a burden to carry around on her job site all the time.
Furthermore, the Taj is still covered in fog.
Thanks for the dedication.
Best regards, Paul
emka
(157280) 2021-11-14 18:27
Witaj Kasiu, Cieszę się, że sie pojawiłaś w końcu po długiej nieobecności. Ciekawe zdjęcie z Taj Mahal za mgłą. No i oczywiscie dwie historie. Prawdę mówiąc, dla mnie nie są one takie wyjątkowe. Ta kobieta pewnie po prostu zbierała trawę, niekoniecznie robiła to tyulko do zdjęcia. Zobacz mój WS. To tez było w okolicach tych ogrodów.
Ja przeżyłam mnóstwo podobnych historii, kiedy ludzie byli wobec mnie przyjacielscy i bezinteresowni. Również z telefonem. Na Kubie wybrałam się na wycieczkę konną. Jechałam z przewodnikiem, młodym chłopakiem. W pewnej chwili on zauważył, że mam otwarty plecak. Spytał, czy nic mi nie zginęło. Sprawdziłam, że rzeczywiście zgubiłam komórkę. Pojechał kilka kilometrów szukać tej komórki. I znalazł - okazało się, że mi wypadła, jak sie gramoliłam na tego konia. Dawno temu byłam z synem w Maroku. Wszyscy straszyli Marokiem, ze kradna, podsuwają narkotyki, itd. Poszliśmy do jakiejś takiej małej knajpki. Po zjedzeniu posiłku, szliśmy do autokaru. Przeszlismy juz spory kawał drogi, kiedy syn sie zorientował, że zostawił swój plecaczek podręczny, w którym jak wiadomo, ma sie wszystko co cenne, pieniądze, dokumenty, aparat. Postanowił wrócić, nie mając specjalnej nadziei na odzyskanie plecaczka. Tymczasem po drodze spotkał właściciela, który zamknął knajpkę i z plecaczkiem w ręku szukał nas po mieście. Nie wiem, czy to moje nastawienie, czy szczęście, ale ja nie mam negatywnych wspomnień, a duzo właśnie takich.
Pozdrawiam serdecznie
Malgorzata
ifege
(47069) 2021-11-14 20:35
Hi Kasia
My visit to Agra was back in 1972 and we had no such problems as the person you quoted.
Your phone experience was a great good news one and I do like this photo with the delightful woman in front of that rather famous building.
cheers
Ian
Silvio1953
(220717) 2021-11-14 22:47
Ciao Kasia, great portrait of woman at hard work with fascinating architecture in misty BG, beautiful sharpness, fine details, wonderful colors, excellent perspective and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio
Gerrit
(62042) 2021-11-14 22:58
Hello Kasia,
Good story and very recognisable even for someone who has not been there but there are several Agra's I guess.
The photo is fantastic with the blurred Taj Mahal in the background and the charming poor women up front.
thanks and regards,
Gerrit
jemaflor
(146382) 2021-11-14 23:09
Hi Kasia,
Nice portrait well presented, good colors, interesting with the view of the famous palace in the BG and with this fog, perfect contrast for the presentation of this lady, tfs.
COSTANTINO
(115605) 2021-11-15 0:05
Hello dear kasia
thanks for sharing the tradition
I love photos like this one
with this woman dressed in
traditional cloths
thanks for your description
I have never visited Agra before!!!
but now your notes and thoughts
helped me to understand better
regards
Costantino
abmdsudi
(95869) 2021-11-15 0:40
Hi Kasia
That's the unmistakable Agra and the misty Taj! The colourful lady looks so fresh with a very engaging warm smilr which surprised by your lens perhaps but she turned this shot alive. The load adds an additional interest but above all her eyes are most attractive as they speak to us directly. Excellent street shot
Best regards
Royaldevon
(85674) 2021-11-15 1:50
Hello Kasia,
I always read your notes fully and, for this photograph, I have read the responses of all the other members who have critiqued your photograph.
Your notes say so much about human character.
Whilst the old lady was surely taking advantage of her situation and conning people into paying her for her 'hard job' and age, she was really a bit of an entrepreneur, finding a niche activity, which created a more prosperous living, than tending the fields! We may not ethically approve but ... when life is hard!
On the other hand, the behaviour of the tuk tuk drivers was exemplary, the sort of response you hope taxi drivers would have behaved, to visitors to your own country!
Anyway, you came away with a very charming photograph (on the surface), with an authentic resident and the Taj Mahal in the b/g. Your input is the good composition and the sharp f/g.
Are you back in England or in Hungary?
My warm regards,
Bev :-)
holmertz
(102066) 2021-11-15 2:26
Hello Kasia,
As much as I respect you as a photographer and admire your pictures, this is one of those occasions when the note is more interesting than the photo. It's nice, colourful and funny, knowing the story, and the Taj makes a perfect background, but it's more interesting to read the note and recall fairly similar experiences of both kinds I've had in India.
I also remember Agra in 1972 as a place where I felt I was just like a walking purse, waiting to be emptied, but it was the same in other extremely touristy places like Srinagar and Jaipur. But all across India I've also had many experiences of amazing kindness and helpfulness, and gradually over the years I've had less and less troubles. Maybe it's just that Indians have become more used to foreign tourists, or I adapted to Indian daily life. Probably both.
But there is one thing I find utterly shocking: Inflation! 100 rupees for a photo! In "my days" it would have been 1, or maximum 5.
Kind regards,
Gert
jhm
(211734) 2021-11-15 6:14
Hello Kasia,
A friendly lady if model, also her cloths are specially, but also the power to bear a burden on her head, makes your picture attractive
Pleasant to look at.
Perfect taken and lovely presentation.
Very well done, TFS.
Best regards,
John
ChrisJ
(171340) 2021-11-15 6:27
Witaj Kasia
Quite a contrast in styles between the hucksters and hustlers after money and the more down to earth genuine people. I left my passport in a hotel in Montenegro, & phoned them the following morning from Ulcinj. They found it and couriered it to my hotel that afternoon. I thanked my hotel in Ulcinz too and was able to continue into Albania, passport in hand. Tfs!
lousat
(138683) 2021-11-15 9:47
Ciao Kasia,once again your story was more useful than the photos, however beautiful and that are part of the first part of the story, since you paid the lady to do them, they absolutely deserve gratitude .. haha .. But the unexpected thing is what it is happened in the second, to deny all the bad reputations of this city regarding tourists. An adventure that ended well, as opposed to what happened to my friend in Morocco who stole his wallet with all the documents and I'll tell you what a long bureaucratic process for the police just to make a complaint. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano
GyurMaster
(24682) 2021-11-17 1:34
Hello Kasia,
You presented an interesting story and and a well-made photo. I like the contrast between the subject and the hazy bg.
Best Wishes,
Gy.
ktanska
(44492) 2021-11-17 9:48
Hi Kasia,
Not at all touristy view of Taj Mahal. This is from fairly far away, giving much bigger role this lady. Her attire is colourful and cheerful mix of styles.
Kari
mkamionka
(73500) 2021-11-27 3:37
Czesc Kasia,
To wlasnie prawdziwe dziennikarstwo! Pokazujesz dwie strony medalu. Obie z ladunkiem emocjonalmym i zodbywte poprzez osobiste doswiadczenia. Taki wlasnie jest swiat: ma rozne odcienie szarosci. Myslac o ludzkosci czasami mysle ze ten gatunek zasluguje na wyginiecie z drugiej strony te czasem pojedyncze gesty warte sa by dac ludzkosci szanse.
Swietna scenka i pewnie gdyby nie historia w notce wygladalaby na typowa scenke z zycia codziennego w Agrze.
Pozdrawiam serdecznie,
M
mcmtanyel
(67757) 2022-01-01 17:47
Hello Kasia,
It was worth reading all of your note. That was an uplifting story. I think this lady is doing a legitimate job, what is the difference between her and our professional models? She is earning a few rupees without cheating anyone, good for her.
I like the contrast between her colorful attire and the mist-shrouded Taj.
Happy 2022,
MT
aliabazari
(21387) 2022-01-05 2:29
Hello Kasia
A beautiful view of everyday life. It was an interesting story. Well done.
Photo Information
-
Copyright: Kasia Nowak (kasianowak)
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1692 W: 9 N: 3498]](//i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(17672) - Genre: ¢íèñùðïé
- Medium: ¸ã÷ñùìï
- Date Taken: 2020-01-14
- Camera: Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-70 f2.8
- ¸êèåóç: f/0.9, 1/21 äåõôåñüëåðôá
- ¸êäïóç öùôïãñáößáò: Ðñùôüôõðç Ýêäïóç, Workshop
- Date Submitted: 2021-11-14 13:59
