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Fatehpur Sikri, built by Mughal Emperor Akbar, is a historical site in India. Inside the fort is a shrine that draws people of all religions and is the burial place of Sufi saint Salim Chisti. A kind man at the door welcomed visitors. Whenever I asked how he was, he always said he was doing great, thanks to God. He spoke about God and faith in a way that was both simple and profound. His words were straightforward yet carried deep meaning, making complex spiritual ideas easy to understand and relate to. His serene faith and humble wisdom left a lasting impression on me.
Grassroutes, an ecotourism company based in Mumbai, India, organises tours to various villages. Their goal is to provide livelihoods for village residents by training youth as tour guides and advising families on preparing authentic local food for their guests. I took this image in Dhene, one of the villages where Grassroutes operates. The people of Dhene primarily engage in agriculture, cultivating rice during the monsoons and drying and threshing their produce in the winter. Due to limited water, they cannot cultivate anything in the summer. The income from Grassroutes tourism has significantly boosted Dhene's residents. I will never forget this glorious monsoon day when I met a man tending to his cattle. I took this picture with an Olympus PEN EP-3 camera and a 17mm f/1.8 lens. At the time, I couldn’t believe this camera could produce such beautiful images.
I visited Udaipur and explained to the owner of my bed and breakfast that I was interested in meeting local people and observing their day-to-day lives. He connected me with the headman of a village, who also worked as a bank manager in the city. The headman kindly offered to take me to his farmhouse. There, I met a man who had a grin on his face the entire time I was with him. His zeal and enthusiasm for life were infectious and left a lasting impression on me.