23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
The Guardians of Banni

Under the sharp desert sun of the Banni grassland, this young Fakirani Jatt boy walks with an effortless confidence, guiding a restless tide of endangered Kharai camels across the dry earth. His stride is steady, his gaze calm — as if he has already inherited generations of pastoral wisdom. Behind him, the herd moves like a single living rhythm, their shadows stretching across the cracked land. In this moment, he stands not just as a herder, but as a young guardian of a fragile ecosystem and a disappearing way of life.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 02.2025
Date Uploaded: 12.2025
Photo Location: kutch, India
Camera: NIKON Z 6_2
Copyright: © ARPAN BASU CHOWDHURY