13th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Portrait of a Naga

I visited Allahabad to photograph the nagas at Kumbh mela - the largest gathering of humans on the planet. It was a surreal experience and also difficult than i anticipated. Naga sadhus are knows to be very violent and so getting closer to photograph them was a challenge. I was shoved away overtime i tried getting closer or tried chatting up. Amidst all the chaos, i saw a glimpse of light falling on this nagas face and knew i wanted to take a photograph since his face had character. I tried getting as close to him as possible and shouted and made a gesture. Fortunately it caught his attention, he looked at me and i took this photograph.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 02.2013
Date Uploaded: 11.2015
Photo Location: allahabald, India
Camera: Canon EOS 50D
Copyright: © Sahil Lodha