Body culture

A documentary photography series. Kolkata, India, 2026

This series moves between open-air spaces and the city's newer gyms: bright, mirrored, humming with synthetic green turf and chrome dumbbell racks. The contrast is striking, but all places share something essential. These are not just rooms where people exercise. They are rooms where people grow, pour chai between sets, flex for each other with a pride that is completely disarming.

Two men in a gym, one shirtless with black shorts and the other in a sleeveless shirt and shorts, surrounded by dumbbell racks and mirrors.
A shirtless man in blue shorts and yellow athletic shoes performs a kneeling stretch on a blue yoga block on a green mat in a gym, holding a blue object in his right hand with his left hand raised above his head.
People exercising at a gym with various equipment, some performing different workouts on a green mat area.
Two men working out with dumbbells in a gym, with various weights scattered around on the floor and mirrors reflecting their image.
A man in a teal shirt sitting on a bench in a gym, gesturing with his right hand while speaking. Another man in a striped shirt is standing in the background near a window, looking down. The gym has various exercise equipment, and a 'LADIES ONLY' sig
A man is sitting on the floor pouring tea from a metal pot into red checkered paper cups, with three cups arranged in a row.
A man lifting a barbell in a gym with another man standing behind him.
A man in a blue sleeveless shirt flexes his biceps in a gym with weightlifting equipment and benches in the background.
Man lifting a barbell with both arms in a gym, with another person in a yellow tank top working out in the background.
A person lying on a gym bench in a gym, seen through a mirror, with their arm extended and holding a dumbbell, in a rustic gym with exposed brick walls and gym equipment.

The physical and the devotional are not kept apart here. Strength in these photographs is not a performance. It is a practice — steady and quietly tied to something much older than any gym.

Small shrine with a white marble structure and a golden dome in a courtyard, with a photo and a small statue, surrounded by potted plants, a towel hanging to dry, a bicycle leaning against the wall, and a tree with tangled wires in the background.
A man in a sleeveless athletic shirt and pants is doing a dip exercise on parallel bars outdoors. There are potted plants, laundry hanging, and a small shrine or temple structure in the background.
A person with a bare back exercising with resistance bands in an outdoor gym area. The background includes outdoor equipment, a bicycle, laundry hanging, and a small shrine or altar.
A man in dark pants and a light patterned shirt carrying a large object on his shoulder in an outdoor courtyard. The courtyard has hanging flags, a small shrine with potted plants, and laundry hanging on a clothesline. The area appears aged with some
A man doing push-ups near a brick wall and an open doorway, while another man using a wooden log as a barbell stands outdoors in a yard, with trees and a building in the background.
A man wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt and black track pants with red and white stripes, standing in a gym, is seen in a mirror and appears to be wiping sweat from his face. The gym has a weathered wall, various exercise equipment, and a framed post

There is another chapter to this story, and it happens entirely outdoors. In the grounds of Lions Safari Park, a calisthenics culture has taken root. There are no mirrors here, no machines, no membership fees - just pull-up bars, iron barbells and the weight of your own body.

Young man in black shorts doing a pull-up on a rusty outdoor pull-up bar in a park, surrounded by trees and other young people, some watching and others exercising.
A shirtless young man with black pants stands holding parallel bars, with children and adults in the background at an outdoor exercise area surrounded by trees. One child is jumping over a horizontal bar, while others watch or engage in different act

Strength is not something these men build alone.

A group of young men outdoors, one showing something on a smartphone to others, with trees in the background.
Two young men are arm wrestling at a park table, surrounded by children and teenagers watching, with trees and playground equipment in the background.
Two young men are performing acrobatic yoga poses on a jungle gym in a park, with trees and people in the background.
A young man in a black sleeveless shirt and bandana standing at an outdoor gym, holding a rusted orange and green bar, with other exercise equipment and people in the background.
A man performing a handstand on push-up bars in a park with palm trees, while two people sit on a bench in the background during dusk.
Two muscular young men with short dark hair workout with a barbell at an outdoor gym during evening. One man, wearing a sleeveless black shirt, is spotting the other, who is also in a sleeveless black shirt, lifting the barbell. In the background, ot
A shirtless man with a towel over his shoulder giving a thumbs-up, standing outdoors at dusk with several people in the background.