This is a portrait of a little shepherd girl called Punky. I have a keen interest in portraiture. I love portraiture. I love photographing people at their homes. This little Rabari girl was in her family's living room, which is very simple with a mud floor. The light was coming in in a very beautiful way. I didn’t want to pose her. I wanted to photograph her in a very natural way. I love the fact that she was holding on to this pole in a very delicate, feminine way. She was looking at me, perhaps wondering who I was, what I was doing there, what my camera was. This perhaps was the first time she had ever been photographed. I was as curious about her as she was of me. What was life like as a young shepherdess? A girl who went out with her animals all afternoon, with the goats. How could she control such a herd? She had this very beautiful sweet face, and I thought it was a wonderful moment being there in her living room of her simple house with the mud floor. These people who have very little in terms of material possessions, actually have so much in terms of friends, family, free time and there is lots of wonderful festivals, and they really make good use of their leisure time.
Rajasthan, India, 2009
