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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Forty-Eight: Telling stories with pictures > Bus stop, Jaipur, India, 2008
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21-MAR-2008

Bus stop, Jaipur, India, 2008

Travelers of every age crowd the dilapidated buses that form the backbone of India inter-city transportation system. I made this image in the old city, just outside of the City palace. The palace represents the historic and touristic India. Yet the real India is represented by the reality of dependence on a decaying intercity bus system such as this one. These adults are resigned to it. For the children, riding the bus, no matter how decrepit and tardy it might be, is a great adventure. This image tells both of those stories.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/200s f/4.5 at 35.6mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis22-May-2008 02:52
Great to hear from you, Gil. Glad you like this image as much as I did. It tells a story, and that story will differ from viewer to viewer.
Gil Hidalgo21-May-2008 16:51
Hello Phil...Ol' Friend!
It's been about a year since I posted in your page. This page and in particular, this image tells a story directly to me. Not only the composition, but also the personal meaning each and everyone of use takes from looking at the picture. I see a sign of relief as the afternoon sets in and everybody is going home. They seem relaxed, yet tired. The older man and the young pre teen tell a different story as they look into your camera as a third child, in true form for his age, is preoccupied with the large toy which he sits in.
Great shot.
I miss you Ol' friend. It's my fault too!


Phil Douglis09-May-2008 03:35
I wondered the same thing. But then I realized that the people who ride such buses as this are not impoverished. They can afford to travel, after all. I don't see them as trapped either -- they are at least mobile, and able to ride the bus to where they need to go. They are dependent, however. They are at the mercy of the bus, its schedule, condition and traffic. Their ride may be long and dusty and unbearably hot. The seats are hard, the roads can be rough, and clogged with traffic. They must endure it -- they have little choice but to do so. While the adults endure, the children will rejoice -- the long ride will be an adventure, the stuff of dreams.
Guest 09-May-2008 01:39
When I look at this picture it leaves me feeling that they are trapped by their poverty. They look out through the windows but can't escape it.
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