In rural India, most villages retain vibrancy through veiled women going about their daily chores, clad in bursts of colour.
That vibrancy of clothing, if and when coupled with the raw and rustic beauty of their visages, has the capacity to illuminate the darkest corners of the world.
Covered faces do not hide strength nor shine.
They uncover the urgency to uncover.
If and only if, the face wishes to reveal itself.
Priyanshi Thakkar captured HER – returning home from morning prayers at the temple, goddess incarnate, veil lifted, a rural, powerful, Indian woman.
“The Veil” is a complex phenomenon, perhaps the most divisive and provocative of our times. And yet, amid the humble submissiveness to it or the abject rejection of it, there emerges a wonderful and necessary understanding of what it means to be a woman in the world today.
To have the choice to wear the veil or shrug it off, at will.
Our goddess, perched at the temple gate, witnessed in all its colours, the hypocrisy of this society.
“They worship women in clay, adorning them with garlands…
The real women are adorned with thorns…
We shouldn’t need to be protected from lust, dust or a thrust…
If worship is determined by the triumph of good over evil,
The evils disappear when we decide to be the women we are…”, she thought.
The temple bell rang.
She knew it was time.
It was time to lift the veil.
(The text accompanying this photograph was widely influenced by content contributions from Priyanshi Thakkar, the photographer of this SURESHOT and Rahul Bhandare, our artist that created ‘The Eye’.)
DISCLAIMER: The content on this website is merely an opinion and not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, organisation, company or individual. Nothing contained herein shall to any extent substitute for the independent investigations and sound judgment of the reader. While we have made every attempt to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the content contained herein, no warranty or guarantee, express or implied, is given with respect to the same. The SHOUT! Network is neither liable nor responsible to any person or entity for any errors or omissions, or for any offense caused from such content.
In addition to the above, thoughts and opinions change from time to time… we consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This website is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of the various topics running around our brains, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not be the same, or even similar, to those we may hold today.
Feel free to challenge us, disagree with us, or tell us we’re completely nuts in the comments section of each piece. The SHOUT! Network reserves the right to delete any comment for any reason whatsoever (abusive, profane, rude, or anonymous comments) – but do SHOUT! with us, if you will.
