Best Entries - Maharashtra Kaleidoscope Photography Contest 2015 - People & Culture Category

Presenting some of the best entries from the 'People & Culture' category of the Maharashtra Kaleidoscope Photography Contest 2015.

Adwait Brahme | Baalpanicha kaal sukhacha! A playful moment between a warkari grandfather and his granddaughter caught on camera during the wari procession in Pune.

Akshay Ashok Palkar | Home is where your heart is. A lady was walking back home on a quaint evening at sunset was the perfect setting for a photo. Akshay underexposed and composed the picture to get the desired effect which was stunning!

Akshay Ingle | This image was captured during the Karnapura Mela which happens every year in Aurangabad, during the festival of Navaratri.

Alpesh Kumar Nagar | This contrasting picture shows a path between an old lady and a kid. The path between them is life’s journey. Each symbolizes the start and end point of a story called life.

Rahul Karandikar | Ganeshotsav is probably the most widely celebrated festivals in Maharashtra. A significance change in the Sarvajanik (public) Ganeshotsav since recent years is the active participation by the youth and women. A candid moment between two girls captured by Rahul on the last day of the festival!

Harshavardhan Ghorpade | The photograph shows a man holding a tally sheet for the fabrication workshop at Anandwan. This man, who is recovering from leprosy and has almost lost all fingers on one hand, is working at Anandwan and proudly earning his bread and butter instead of begging on streets!

Mahesh Lonkar | The biggest attraction at the Wari Sohala is the ‘Ringan’ (a circular pattern or arrangement which the pilgrims follow and in which various performances are organized). The ringan is a source of distraction and respite after long hours of walk for the warkaris.

Sayali Madkaikar | The dhol pathaks are an integral part of many festivals in Maharashtra in recent years. The photograph is captured at the right moment when the performers of the ‘dhwaj pathak’ perform on the rhythm of the dhol as the spectators gather around.

Sayali Madkaikar | This photo is captured during the Dahi Handi festival in Mumbai. Sayali perfectly captured the contrast of color and the unity as the boys take an oath before breaking the handi.

Nikhil Wadatkar | The small shops in old city present beautiful portraits of people submerged in their daily work. While on a heritage walk through the old city, Nikhil photographed this old man who was immersed in his daily chores at his work space.

Pankaj Bhagwatkar | Rendezvous – Captured at the Mahatma Phule Mandai (vegetable market) in Pune. Pankaj writes, “Helping his thoughts to converse with the space, beginning a new day with new hopes”.

Prathamesh Vinod Ghanekar | Hundreds of thousands people walk for several days to reach Pandharpur on Ashadhi Ekadashi to get a glimpse of ‘Vitthal-Rakhumai’. The photograph captures a person waiting to get a haircut from a street barber (not in the frame) who rests his fists on his waist, unknowingly re-enacting the posture of ‘Vitthal’ himself!

Rahul Bulbule | The image perfectly captures a yawning warkari, who has probably just started on the wari with the Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi from Dehu near Pune. The warkaris will eventually reach Pandharpur after 20 days of travel on foot!

Rupesh Jadhav | The Ganpati Festival is probably the most celebrated festival in Maharashtra. The energy among people during Ganeshotsav is unmatchable. Rupesh has managed to capture this girl’s excitement beautifully as she prepares to perform the dhol during the last day procession.

Ruve Narang | The photograph beautifully captures a man busy washing clothes in the evening. The play of light, the droplets of water and the overall setting makes for a perfect frame!

Abhishek Pardeshi | This photo, taken in a village around Pabe Ghat near Pune represents a majority of farmers in the Western Ghats who are dependent on the annual monsoon for their one and only crop - Rice

Abhishek Pachore | Bullock-cart races are one of the most popular traditional sports in rural Maharashtra. These races are organized in different villages particularly in and around cities of Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara between August and March every year. These races are now banned by the Supreme Court, but implementation of the ban poses a big challenge for the police department and administration,

Neha Mandlekar | This picture was captured during the last day of the Ganesh Festival which is Anant Chaturdashi. During the idol immersion, the boy in the photograph leapt suddenly towards the idols and pulled out a red rose as a last farewell gift to his ‘Bappa’!