Indian "Smileways", a photo from Kerala, South

Photographer's Note

I wish all people were like him. Asked for a photo, gave me a great smile!
Taken on a train trip in Kerala, this man is a staff of the Indian Railways, its Catering division. He is a South Indian, I guess he is from Tamil Nadu. it is his job to supply the travellers with food, which would range from delicious Chai[ Tea], Kappi[ Coffee], to a variety of Indian dishes and snacks served one after the other throughout the journey. The compartments are almost always full, it is a wonder he can still keep smiling!
With approximately 1.36 million permanent employees, Indian Railways is the world's second largest employer in the world. It is the lifeline of the country, many more depend on it for their livelihood.

tyro, maloutim has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

AliMoein (780) 2012-04-11 12:37

Hi Manoj
This photo has a good subject but it has not good a composition and sharpness
Best Regards
Ali

tyro (13111) 2012-04-13 2:42

Hi Manoj,

It is one of my ambitions to travel at sometime on the railways across India because I'm sure that it would give much more of a "feel" of the country. And if all the stewards on the train were as friendly and happy as this fellow, I'm sure it would be wonderful.

I agree with Ali that this might not be one of your best pictures, but it was obviously taken in difficult circumstances and very difficult light. I think a vertical "portrait" picture might have been better - that would have cut out the distracting and overly bright area on the right and might also have allowed us to see what goodies he had on his tray. A little more light on his face would have improved things a lot too.

But still a very fine capture of life on the railways in Kerala and an excellent note to accompany it.

Kind Regards,

John.