A Portrait from Patan, Nepal

If you have been following my social media updates, you would have figured out that I absolutely love the Himalayan country of Nepal. It’s food, its people, its temples, its mountains, its nature and everything about it makes me yearn for it. And if you are a street or a people photographer, you will like this country more as the very kind and smiling citizens make for great subjects.


I love taking portraits and also like to indulge in street photography, but more so like to engage in a conversation with the local to understand the local perspective and to hear some local stories and folk lore. I met this elderly gentleman at the Durbar Square in Patan while I was exploring this UNESCO world heritage area. I met him at the holy pond where people wash their head, hands and feet with this holy water. This Nepali gentleman makes a living out of transporting water from the Durbar square to the various hotels and restaurants nearby. He is from a neighboring village and has been doing this work for years to supplement his livelihood along with some meager farming work. I wished I could have spoken to him longer, but he had to do his job. Even those 5 minutes with him made me connect with him, albeit at just a superficial level.