Man sporting a traditional moustache. Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.
Turbans worn in Rajastan are referred to as the Pagari. They vary in style, colour and size. They also indicate a wearer's social class, caste, region and the occasion it being worn for. Its shape and size may also vary with the climatic conditions of the different regions. Turbans in the hot desert areas are large and loose. Farmers and shepherds, who need constant protection from the elements of nature, wear some of the biggest turbans. The Rajasthani turban also has many practical functions. Exhausted travellers use it as a pillow, a blanket or a towel. It can be used to strain muddy water. An unravelled turban can also be used as a rope to draw water from a well with a bucket Small farming village outside Bundi, Rajasthan, India, 2011.
Taj Mahal The Taj, to you may seem, a mark of love supreme You may hold this beauteous vale in great esteem; Yet, my love, meet me hence at some other place! How odd for the poor folk to frequent royal resorts; ‘Tis strange that the amorous souls should tread the regal paths Trodden once by mighty kings and their proud consorts. Behind the facade of love my dear, you had better seen, The marks of imperial might that herein lie screen’d You who take delight in tombs of kings deceased, Should have seen the hutments dark where you and I did wean. Countless men in this world must have loved and gone, Who would say their loves weren’t truthful or strong? But in the name of their loves, no memorial is raised For they too, like you and me, belonged to the common throng. Sahir Ludhianvi’s
