Capture | India Photo Tour Highlights

Join Meg, one of our amazing photographer guides, on her India photo tour. Meg is a graduate of Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication and a photojournalist for The Cincinnati Enquirer.

She’s a restless Ohio native who loves Van Morrison, avocados, and golden doodles…a perfect fit here at Rustic Pathways. We’ve been fortunate to have her as part of the team. Enjoy Meg’s photographs and her thoughts about her photography tour India below.

“India is simply magical. It is like no place I have ever been. I was surprised every day. The pure chaos overwhelmed my senses. A land of billion plus people who speak numerous languages, cook intoxicating foods and dance for every occasion. What more could you want?”

“I have picked this selection of photos because they remind me of the random and wonderful memories I have from my Rustic Pathways summer.”

“Part of our service project for Service in the Clouds was to complete building a toilet for this woman and her family. Over 400 million families in India do not have a toilet. This creates issues of safety and sanitation, especially for women.

A family without a toilet is not eligible for a ration card, which provide sugar, rice and kerosene. I am happy to report that by the end of the summer we finished her toilet and two others for families in her neighborhood.”

“During Service in the Clouds, students completed service in a little village called Balla. A river runs from the Himalayas through the village and serves as a lifeline for the people in the community. On a break from digging a hole to build a toilet, students were able to swim and do their laundry in the river. It doesn’t get more rustic than that.”

“Meet the beautiful elephants at WSOS Indian Sanctuary in Agra, which is India’s only chain-free elephant sanctuary. Every elephant has been rescued from a life of begging on the streets and performing in circuses. During the Dancing Bear Rescue Project, students had the opportunity to work with these beautiful elephants. We would take them on walks, feed them fresh fruit, and bathe them. There is nothing better than walking beside one of these amazing creatures, while their ears and tails wag like a happy dog.”

“Welcome to an old snake charming village outside of Agra. Wildlife SOS helped stop the practice of snake charming in this village. During the Dancing Bear Rescue Project, our students visited this village and listened to snake charming songs, while learning about the old practice. The entire village came together to celebrate our visit. We all danced, held some newborn goats, and tried to play their handmade instruments. It was one of those evenings where we all walked away with broad smiles on our faces wondering what just happened.”

“There are no more preforming dancing bears in India, which is much to the credit of Wildlife SOS. This organization provides a holistic solution to this ancient animals rights issue. Students get the opportunity to work with the talented staff and zookeepers during the Dancing Bear Rescue Project. They have over 200 rescued bears at their facility in Agra. We helped feed the bears (porridge, fruit, and honey…no joke) and build enrichment activities to stimulate the bears’ natural instincts, like foraging and swimming. After delivering the food to the dens, I walked past this guy who looked like he was meditating under a tree. He was so relaxed and comfortable. It is unbelievable to witness this bear in a natural habitat after so many years of suffering.”

“I took this photo at the end of my second visit to the snake charming village. I just love the expression on the mother’s face as she looks at her child. So many of the young kids had the same curious expression on their faces when I photographed them.”

“During Namaste, we surprised students and let them paint elephants. When we ran out of paintbrushes, Ben decided to finger paint the elephant’s trunk. Ben was one of my most enthusiastic students. If that elephant needed to be painted, he was going to do it by any means necessary.”

“The Namaste program traveled to Cochin in the south of India. Cochin is a major port city on the Arabian Sea. We were able to take a sunset cruise to see the brightly colored boats and fishing operations. Due to the monsoon season, we got caught in a bit of rain. Unfortunately, these fishermen did not have a cover over their boat, but that did not stop them from retrieving nets.”

“While on Namaste, we planned to spend a day on a coconut island, where the community uses all the parts of the coconut for daily living and fishing. While waiting for our canoe to get to the island, this strapping man rides up on his bike, slings a basin on his shoulder and starts climbing. He was fermenting the alcohol made from coconuts at the top of the tree. He emptied the container and climbed back down, as if he was walking up a flight of stairs.”

“I will share this last photo from the tea gardens in Munnar. This was one of the more surprising things we came across on Namaste. Many associate deserts and mountains with India, but little did I know some of the highest tea gardens in the world are in the south of India. It was a spectacular sight. Students were able to taste 16 different types of tea, learn about the process, and then explore the actual gardens. It was absolutely beautiful.”

Photo Credit: Will Ratner

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If you would like to keep up with Meg’s work, check out her blog and follow her on Twitter. Want more amazing photos? Join the India photography tour and make some with Rustic Pathways.