Som Chand and Harsh are on responsibility as safety guards at the historic Rani ki Vav in Gujarat’s Patan however, occasionally, oblige vacationers struggling to take pictures. (Image: Nivedita Singh/News18)
Harsh and Som Chand, each middle-aged males, are tech-savvy and in a position to change digicam modes – a talent they’ve picked up on their journey as safety guards-cum-photographers – and by having run by means of completely different varieties of telephones
Being a solo traveller at a vacationer vacation spot can pose some difficulties, together with posing for images with nobody to click on any. That is probably not an issue if you’re visiting the well-known Rani ki Vav, or the Queen’s Stepwell, in Gujarat’s Patan, the place two humble safety guards step as much as take distinctive and Instagram-worthy footage.
The cost? A smile of gratitude is all.
Som Chand and Harsh, each middle-aged males, are on responsibility as safety guards at the historic website however, occasionally, they oblige vacationers struggling to take pictures.
“At least give me a chance,” Harsh stated, as I struggled to fill the body with the picturesque stepwell with me at the centre. After some hesitant moments, I handed over my telephone and what got here again was nothing brief of the work of knowledgeable photographer. The panoramic images clicked by Harsh turned out to be some of the perfect I collected on my journey to Gujarat with the IRCTC-operated ‘Garvi Gujarat’ prepare.
When I requested what the cost for the pictures was, he stated it’s the smile on individuals’s faces that gave him satisfaction. “We are standing here the whole day and whenever I see someone struggling, I click their pictures. The smile on their faces gives me satisfaction. I don’t ask for money in return. But there are few who offer us some, so we take it,” he stated whereas speaking to News18.
Seeing our interplay, a crowd gathered round 49-year-old Harsh, all desirous to be photographed by him. There was the same scene not too removed from Harsh, as 52-year-old Som Chand obliged individuals by clicking their pictures at the eleventh century monument.
“I have been posted here for the last 15 years and clicking photos for the past 10 years. Back in the day, there were not as many people who visited. So, one day, I clicked some photos sitting on the stairs. They turned out nice and everyone appreciated them. So I started experimenting. Now I am quite comfortable with phones and photography,” Som Chand stated.
Both the guards are tech-savvy and in a position to change digicam modes – a talent they’ve learnt on their journey as safety guards-cum-photographers. Having run their arms by means of tons of of completely different telephones, there may be little that confuses them.
“We have clicked so many pictures on so many different phones that we are aware of all these settings,” they stated.
They additionally take the vacationer lean season to up their recreation and educate others as properly. Som Chand, who’s from Patan, didn’t ask for cash however stated he took it when provided because it helped run his household.
“I don’t ask for money. I am satisfied when people are happy with my photos. But we are private security guards and don’t earn much. I have three daughters. I don’t ever ask for money. If someone offers it out of love and happiness, we accept it. Eventually, I have a family to run,” he stated.
Rani ki Vav at Patan in Gujarat is a novel construction inbuilt 1063 by Rani Udayamati of the Chalukya dynasty to commemorate her husband Bhimdev I. The stepwell is made within the kind of an inverted temple and showcases superior craftsmanship of the period.
Over the years, it was fully buried underneath silt and solely the shaft and a few pillars have been seen. The stepwell was rediscovered within the Forties, and the Archeological Survey of India restored it within the Nineteen Eighties. The stepwell has been listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites since 2014.
Read all of the Latest India News right here