Show us your best rural snaps every month!

We were blown away with India’s photographic talent when we held our “Village Vibe” photo competition last October. 

Now we want more. 

Receiving over 2,500 entries, photographers up and down the country showed us rural India through their lenses. The photographs, which were on exhibit at New Delhi’s Habitat Centre for two weeks, captured the vibrancy of village life and took viewers beyond the cliche of “village drudgery.” 

That is why we are launching a new “Photo of the Month” strand on our Instagram page – to feature and champion the photographers keeping that spirit alive. 

We are eager to see the vibrant images of daily life and of special occasions, the joys and the challenges, the diversity and the culture of rural India – a moment captured forever. 

Starting this March, every month you can submit up to 2 pictures (less than 3 MBs) which show us rural life through your camera. It does not matter if you are an amateur or a professional. So long as your picture tells a story. 

In fact we also want to know the story behind the picture too. So include a brief and snappy anecdote or caption with each submitted photo, as well as where and when the picture was taken.

Remember, if your picture does not make it as  the “Photo of the Month” one month, you can always send us new entries for the next. And, of course, you will have the opportunity to get your amazing photograph published every month.  

The deadline will be the 25th of each month.   

We will publish the best picture on the last day of every month on our Instagram page. 

You can upload your picture and caption using the Google form attached here. If you have a second you must submit that in a separate Google form. 

Our inspiration – 2021 Village Vibe Photo Competition 

Distinct, captivating images of rural India greeted visitors at the India Habitat Centre (IHC) from November 19 to December 5, 2021.  The refreshingly candid images displayed at the exhibition challenged existing notions of rural India among Delhi’s urbanites. The Delhiites who saw the exhibit – either deliberately or just passing – said the images made them pause and reflect how rural India lives, learns, celebrates and toils. 

“I feel a connection with the villages through these pictures as they remind me of my childhood,” said a Delhi resident who visited the exhibition at the IHC. 

See our virtual tour of the exhibit here

We received over 2500 entries across six categories for our Village Vibe photo competition: Her Life, A Hard Day’s Work, Healthy Living, Eco-friendly, Joyful Learning, and Art, Culture & Festivals.  The shortlisted photos and winners for each category were on display. 

“Images in each category tell a distinct story. There is so much diversity to see across and within categories,” remarked another visitor to the exhibition. 

Noted TV journalist  Ravish Kumar, who also saw the Village Vibe exhibit was so moved by the images, he shared one of the winning photographs on his Instagram handle.

While moving away from the stereotype of deprivation, these photographs represent rural India’s diversity, its hardships and joys. It put forward some of the many faces of India’s diverse rural landscape. 

Often rural India is perceived as rustic, backward and deprived. Its joys, celebrations and everyday hardships are overlooked by the mainstream media. We at Village Square want to fill this void.

Destin Sparks, an award winning landscape photographer, says photos can tell stories words cannot. 

Village Vibe, a photo competition and exhibition for amateur and professional photographers, was a critical step in that direction. It set out to bring authentic experiences of rural India captured by photographers across India. 

Now that we have a taste for what is possible, help us make this a monthly celebration and submit your entries to our “Photo of the Month” strand.