Downtime in Rural India – photo competition winners announced!

See how rural India relaxes and plays - the winning photographers are announced from this year's Village Vibe photo competition, Downtime in Rural India. If you're in Delhi head to Sundar Nursery to see these photos exhibited in the park through December.

Nov 14, 2022 New Delhi

It’s result time, folks – the moment we have all been eagerly waiting for – the winners of our second annual Village Vibe photo competition.

This year we wanted to see how rural India rests and relaxes, parties and has fun with our theme Downtime In Rural India – How Rural India Relaxes.

Across five categories, photographers around the country showed us rural India in their fun and chill modes. Through these stunning pictures we see stories of festivals, foods, sports and cultures from rural India too often ignored or overlooked.

The shortlisted photos are a stunning and joyful insight.  It was a seriously hard choice for our esteemed panel of judges to choose a first,  second and third place. (SEE the shortlist here)

We also opened the voting up to you, the loyal readers and supporters of Village Square to choose a People’s Choice winner for each category. 

Have a look and revel in the vivacity of rural India at rest and play. 

FESTIVALS – the known and the unknown  

Let the delightful pictures take you on a journey through the unique, known and unknown traditions, commemorations and carnivals.

First prize – Madhumita Chatterjee – Fire and passion at Dasara, the festival of triumph over evil, in the 300-year-old Arulmigu Kulasai Mutharamman Devi Temple in the port city of Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu.
Second prize – Sharad Patil – Horse-riders go in circles as people sing, dance and celebrate around them at the Ringan Sohala, celebrated in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.
Third prize – Soumayan Biswas – During the Durga Puja, a statue of Maa Durga is being taken to a body of water for idol immersion in West Bengal.
People’s choice – Kiran Kanna – In Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu devotees celebrate Kalasai Dasara (Dussehra) by transforming themselves into goddess Kali.

FOOD AND DRINK 

In a land as diverse and rich as India – the buffet table is endless. These mouth-watering pictures show India’s rich culture represented through its food.

First prize – Dimpal Pancholi – Looking more like a Renaissance painting, this photo captures a multitasking mother who teaches her child while cooking in her crowded kitchen in Gujarat.
Second prize – Vinay Gupta – A family in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, rushes to gather up their dinner – fish that flew out of their baskets after a cyclone hit the area.
Third prize – Pranab Bassak – A Lepcha family, in Darjeeling, enjoys hot noodles with their pet cat on a foggy, winter morning.
People’s choice – Anirban Pan – Women farmers take a deserved lunch break in Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal.

EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY 

How does rural India embrace technology – its highs and lows? The pictures tell us amazing stories of rural India’s deep interaction with tech.

First prize – Pranab Bassak – Women enjoy their leisure time as they explore social media platforms in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal.
Second prize – Sourav Das – Dedicated students learn out in the street of West Bengal in the evening with their lamps and lanterns.
Third prize – Chetan Soni – A volunteer teaches computer skills to tribal children in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh.
People’s choice – AV Ranganadham – Old meets new – a tribesman in Kisama, Nagaland clicks a selfie on his smartphone while preparing to dance with his tribe.

SPORTS & GAMES 

Without any fancy sporting equipment, stadiums or facilities, how does rural India play? We see the distinct, quirky and innovative games that rural India plays.

First prize – Sandipani Chattopadhyay – Intensity and skill at Moi Chara – a cattle racing competition played during monsoon before paddy cultivation in West Bengal.
Second prize – Surit Datta – Hide and seek Bengali style – kids climb and chill on baskets during their play time in Nadia, West Bengal.
Third prize – Pranab Bassak – Touching the sky – kids fly paper planes in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal.
People’s choice – Shibashish Saha  – Who needs fancy sporting equipment to race and play? A simple sack does the trick in rural West Bengal.

R&R DOWNTIME 

What else did we miss in the above categories? The pictures show us the unique, distinct ways in which rural India takes a break to laze and enjoy. 

First prize – Udayan Sankar – Cat and bird are not at each other’s throats when held by these gentle, happy hands in Tamil Nadu near Chennai.
Second prize – Kishore Das – Time to take a break from the animated festivities of Gajon in West Bengal, a colorful festival where people paint their faces and pray to Lord Shiva. 
Third prize – Pranab Bassak – The joy of seeing a bird flap its wings and fly in South 24 Parganas , West Bengal
People’s choice – Surit Datta – Gathering around gran – a family shares a light moment together as children are taught by their grandmother.

Our judges

We were thrilled to have a stellar panel of judges for this year’s competition – Amrit Dhillon, an international journalist; Harsh Vadlamani, an award winning photojournalist; Amrit Vatsa, founder of the 3 Minute Stories; M Palani Kumar, photographer at People’s Archive of Rural India and; Virendra Shekhawat from the Delhi Photography Club.

All the judges reported the task of picking winners ‘extremely hard’.

The list of judges would be incomplete without you, the readers of Village Square. The votes for people’s choice category started pouring in as soon as the voting links went live. Your keen eyes have picked incredible photographs in each category – second year in a row.

We thank you and congratulate all the photographers capturing rural India. 

Tags: Festival, Food, Leisure, Photo Competition, Photo competiton 2022, Photography, Rural India, Sports in rural India, Technology, Village Vibe
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