Chennai to the ECR

Words + Photography by Rikesh Chauhan, using Canon's 6D + Sony Alpha's A7iii.

I never particularly enjoyed visiting India during my childhood and formative years. The earlier trips felt a little alien. Having only ever known life in England, India was a culture shock and then some. As I grew older, the disillusionment of identity was thrown into the mix. Speak to a lot of second generation immigrants in the UK, and this will likely resonate with them, too. As I slowly grew into adulthood, the world suddenly became not-so-nice a place. Racism was (and had always been) quite a constant, but the older I became, the more obvious it was. Sometimes it would be aggressive and unprovoked, and other situations would be subtly peppered with micro-aggressions, stereotypes and so on. It resulted in me feeling like I’d never truly be accepted in the country I was born in, and yet, to be treated and observed as a foreigner whenever I went to India. It always resulted in me feeling a bit lost.

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