My series is based on women involved in outdoor activities after the lockdown measures started to ease. The images are of women performing various pursuits—coming home after buying groceries, selling milk, reopening a shop, practising yoga outside and renovating a religious premise. As I stepped out after a long time, my own camera is seen wandering through Central Park, the main market of Namchi, capturing the effects of the pandemic on a once-bustling area. A stark reminder of the current situation is the image with a bench covered with white canvas. These benches in Central Park are usually never empty, as people sit here conversing, contemplating, waiting and just soaking up the sun. But all these benches are now covered to prevent a gathering. Another interesting aspect that these images point out, and which I only realised later on, is the absence of women in town. 

 

Through these various activities, I've attempted to understand if and how women are reclaiming the public space in my small town after being restricted within the domestic for weeks. 

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