Villain

Delhi, India. I was walking in the streets of Delhi, and it was HOT! (about 95 degrees Fahrenheit). I saw four men who seemed to be friends playing cards. The gentleman pictured here caught my eye, so I stopped to observe them some more. They noticed me. One of the men tried to shoo me away. That only made them more interesting to me. I smiled, hoping they would allow me to photograph them. They realized I wasn’t going to budge. This gentleman got up and threateningly walked towards me. My first instinct was to reach for my camera and take his picture. He bellowed and shoved me away.

I smiled back and told him his anger made him look even better. He responded by asking me to delete all of the pictures I’d taken of him. I merely could not. First, I offered him money- that further enraged him; The only way I’d keep these images was to make him laugh.

I told him he was bigger and meaner than a well-known Bollywood villain. That did the trick. He smiled and asked me to leave before he changed his mind and broke my camera.