TAÏGAPRESSE IMAGES

India, in the Shadow of the Railway Stations

The story started in Rajasthan, north-west India, where Bernard Lachaud was waiting for his train .He felt a strange and unique atmosphere , at the margin of the world . He felt in love, or had a hypnotic fascination for this so revealed world ,which he decided to to picture. Here is the daily life of the people living in the shadow of the stations, all across India. From a dormitory station to another, overcrowded with thousands of people , all castes melted we discover pastel toned ambiances , made of extreme refinement and violence together.

Photographer
Bernard Lachaud
Country
India
Published
December 2003
Images
41
Reference
322-50078
Madras’ main railway station: Chennai Central. Neons display its name in three languages, Hindi, English, and Tamil.322_50078_01 Night and an acid mist fall on New Delhi railway Station.322_50078_02 Taxis, rickshaws and rental chauffeured vehicles lie in wait for clients. New Delhi railway Station.322_50078_03 Taxi drivers rest between train arrivals, in front of New Delhi railway Station.322_50078_04 Beginning of rush hour in Victoria Hall arrival (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), Bombay.322_50078_05 Rush hour in Victoria Hall arrival (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), around 6 pm, Bombay. Traffic reaches over 3.2 million travelers per…322_50078_06 Rush hour in Victoria Hall arrival (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), around 6 pm, Bombay. Traffic reaches over 3.2 million travelers per…322_50078_07 Women and men, each in their place, get ready to embark on one of the trains to the outskirts of Bombay, at Dadar station.322_50078_08 Ganesh is 10 years old. He goes to school in the morning and shines shoes in the afternoon in an outskirt station of Tamil Nadu. To…322_50078_09 Aplatform of Egmore station being renovated in Chennai (Madras). Only the untouchables and the members of the lower caste work there.322_50078_10 Women wait to enter their reserved compartments in Dum Dum Station, Calcutta.322_50078_11 Travelers walk along the tracks to reach the platform behind New Delhi station.322_50078_12 Shortly before the Rajdhani Express leaves, a traveler admires the locomotive’s cabin. Mumbai Central, Bombay.322_50078_13 Four months after a train accident, the photographs of the non-identified victims are still shown in New Delhi station. December 1999.322_50078_14 Electoral Message ('Vote Pankaj Prakash') and advertisements for night courses painted on the walls of the small station in Kashi,…322_50078_15 Achild waits in a commuter train that will take over two hours to reach its last stop 40 km away, in the southern suburb of Madras…322_50078_16 Departure for the westernmost headed line in India, a few kilometers from Pakistan : Jaisalmer Railway Station.322_50078_17 This little boy feasts on peanuts given to him by one of his five fathers, taxi drivers who adopted him when his mother died giving…322_50078_18 Street children live on a sidewalk close to Howrah Station, in Calcutta.322_50078_19 Amiddle class family from Southern India awaits their train in front of Madras’ main station, 'Chennai Central'.322_50078_20 An untouchable beggar has managed to sneak onto a platform in the crowd at Churchgate Terminus, in Bombay. He will soon be sent out by…322_50078_21 Shoe-shining is one of innumerable jobs found in each station. Churchgate Terminus, Bombay.322_50078_22 This warrior from the Rajput caste has reconverted as a coolie (carrier) in Jodhpur station, Rajasthan.322_50078_23 Atraveler waits in the hall at Varanasi Junction, Benares. His train will leave in over 24 hours, but waiting at the station is already…322_50078_24 Kashmira lives with her parents in front of the station of Varanasi Junction, Benares. They survive thanks to the travelers in transit…322_50078_25 At 75, Babu Ram preferred leaving his native village to try his luck in New Delhi. He has been waiting for work to come to him for three…322_50078_26 This child awaits his mother for hours while playing with a perfect imitation American revolver. Chennai Central Suburban. Madras.322_50078_27 Shanta Ram has lived the past thirty years in the station of Jodhpur, Rajasthan.322_50078_28 Marun, 7, was adopted by a homeless man; they live in Jodhpur station, in Rajasthan. He works hard to fulfill their needs.322_50078_29 Santosh is a tchai-wallah (tea seller) in Jodhpur station, Rajasthan. He and his father work and live on location.322_50078_30 Banned from entering the station, untouchables rotate guard duties in front of cycle-rickshaws for a few rupees. Varanasi Junction…322_50078_31 Employees of Victoria Terminus (Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus), living on location. Traffic stops between 1 and 4 am. Nothing can trouble…322_50078_32 Employees of Victoria Terminus (Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus), living on location. Traffic stops between 1 and 4 am. Nothing can trouble…322_50078_33 Fret stocking in the hall of Mumbai Central - Bombay. Some owners prefer to sleep near their goods, distrusting the guards’ efficiency.322_50078_34 Travelers sometimes arrive several days in advance, then live and seep on location - Chennai Central, Madras. When they do not occupy…322_50078_35 Great hall of Varanasi Junction (Benares), swarming with travelers for the next day’s trains. Such proximity usually runs without trouble.322_50078_36 Travelers and homeless share space in Jodhpur Railway Station. Stray dogs seek a bit of warmth during cool nights.322_50078_37 Awoman and her two children leave the hall of Mumbai Central, under construction. Bombay, November 1999.322_50078_38 Lowly tasks such as sweeping or taking out the trash fall upon the untouchables and the lowest castes. Egmore Station, Chennai (Madras).322_50078_39 This child washes dishes for his family who lives along the platforms. Egmore Station, Chennai (Madras).322_50078_40 Waiting in the great hall in Mumbai Central, Bombay. March 2000. The station halls often contain restaurants, especially vegetarian.…322_50078_41
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