20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
The Act of Browsing

I was on a vacation to Shantiniketan, West Bengal. While I stayed there, I went to this place called the Sonajhuri Haat, where local people including folk artists, the local community, and local craft sellers came. It is a forest in which the whole thing happens. People normally have an amazing experience because if we really think about it, it's a shop in a forest! And that's amazing. I was roaming around in the afternoon through the jungle, and I found these two people having a quiet time beside their car. I found it fascinating. Especially because of the fact that both were engaged on their mobile screen instead of looking at the surroundings filled with sunlight through the leaves and most important of all, silence (as it was a bit far from the gatherings). Their belongings also indicate a third person involved, but we don't get to see this person in this photograph. I call this an act of browsing assuming the fact that people come out to the forest to have a good time alone or with people they like or just experience nature.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2022
Date Uploaded: 09.2022
Photo Location: Bolpur, West bengal, India
Camera: X-E3
Copyright: © Subhashis Halder