Captured on lens: India's own Africans

An exhibition of Ketaki Sheth's photographs of the Sidis paints an intimate picture of their daily lives, religious practices and community dynamics

It was in 2005 that a search for lions in Gir led photographer Ketaki Sheth through Sirwan, a small village in Gujarat predominantly inhabited by the Sidis. Indians of African descent, who many centuries ago came to India in batches as merchants or soldiers, they have over time spun their lives to suit the Indian cultural fabric. Taken over a period of five years, the 65 black-and-white (B&W) photographs by Sheth paint an intimate picture of their daily lives, religious practices and community dynamics. Compiled as a book and now being shown as a photo exhibition, titled A Certain Grace: The Sidi, Indians of African Descent, these pictures have a painting-like quality about them.

It is evident that care was taken by Sheth to ensure the subjects didn't feel awkward in front of the camera. As a result, you get sensitive portraits, that allow you a glimpse of the thoughts and feelings of the subjects. So you have a picture of young Sukhi - a resident of Jambur village - casually leaning against a wall, looking away from the camera. Then there is little Banisha from the same village who seems unaffected by the closeness of the camera. "She had seen me around the village taking pictures. But it was like she wasn't affected by my presence," says Sheth.

One sees pictures of several members of the village praying at the dargah. "They are deeply spiritual people, and yes, the dargah is an important part of their lives. I had spent a considerable time with them before I entered the dargah, and so perhaps my presence felt familiar by then," she says. You get a look at the lives of Sidis living in the urban milieu as well through the images of Juje and his wife, Juliana, near their house in Borivali, Mumbai. "The couple hails from Karnataka. Juje used to be a professional athlete. Now he is in his 40s but still trains actively, while Juliana works as a casting director in the advertising industry," says Sheth.

What's interesting is that the photographs are rendered in a square format, which is unlike the formats used for landscapes or portraits. Sheth first chose a medium-format camera for her work on twins which was published in 1999 as the book Twinspotting by Dewi Lewis Publishing, UK. "After working with 35 mm for my street pictures of Bombay, photographer Raghubir Singh suggested that I go for the medium-format (6x6 cm). It was perfect for the twin portraits, and later I extended my use of the square for the Sidi landscapes and portraits," she says.

Armed with the Mamiya 6 camera, Sheth travelled all over Gujarat, Karnataka, Hyderabad and Mumbai, getting to know the community better and taking pictures. "I would photograph them in a 5-day cycle, some four to five times a year. The challenge was to travel enormous distances. For instance, I drove 10 to 11 hours to get to Ninasam - a big theatre company based in the middle of a forest in Karnataka. I met a Sidi actor, Channa, there who had been referred to me by my friend Sadanand Menon. Channa generously took me into the interiors of Karnataka where many Sidis live," she says. In other states too she was helped by the members of the community to gain access. "I met Hirbaiben Lobhi, a leader from the community in Jambur which has a population of 600 households, and later I came across Farida, a bank clerk in Bhavnagar. If it wasn't for their support, it would have been much more difficult. They introduced me to many members of the community and invited me to functions and gatherings," says Sheth.

The exhibition will be on view till November 3 at Jaipur House, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi