H 74 x 62 x 43 cm

1996

Text extract from Indian travel diary:

20^th March on Ahmedabad Station, while I was eating Omli a naked man, a completely naked old man, wearing nothing, carrying nothing walked the whole length of the main platform, very purposefully, with one straight leg and one leg very curved, where was he going? to do what? and why? People looked once or twice and then carried on with their early morning business and so did I. the station was full of signs and symbols of race, religion, sex, sects, country of origin, region, class and caste, so many people feel a need to wear or paint on themselves, presumably know who and what they are. there was a troupe of brilliantly yellow and untidily turbanned Men, all very old, The yellow cloth looked clean, brand new even, but all wore dirty white dhotis and had very grey feet like elephant hide. there were others little white muslim caps here, portly men in snow white dhotis there, also more portly men in shalwar kameez but worn much longer here than ive seen before with more sharply tapered pyjamas, very very elegant, in contrast at kanoria centre for arts and adjacent school of architecture it’s all very western, even the girls wear jeans and checked shirts, only the janitors and cleaning boys wear lunghis.