GADCHIROLI THE SAGA OF SOIL & SPIRIT

When an Assignment for Lloyd Metals & Energy Limited
Became a Journey of Discovery

Gadchiroli is a saga of soil and spirit.

Of ancient temples and tribal traditions, dense forests and forgotten trails, rivers, wildlife and communities whose relationship with the land goes back generations. It is also a region changing rapidly, where roads, education, healthcare, industry and new opportunities are beginning to redraw possibilities for its people.

When Rupali and I first travelled there on an assignment for Lloyd Metals & Energy Limited (LMEL), we knew surprisingly little about this Gadchiroli.

Like most people outside the region, much of what we knew had been shaped by another narrative — decades of Naxal conflict and stories of a district considered difficult to reach and even more difficult to understand.

Eight to ten days of photography changed that perception completely.

1. People & TraditionsA living rhythm of community, celebration and belonging.
2. Craft, Colour & CultureCraftsmanship carried in jewellery, adornment, colour and detail.
3. Forests & PeopleTraditional knowledge and skills shaped by life close to the forest.
4. Rivers & LandscapesRivers, forests and mountains shaping the extraordinary geography of Gadchiroli.
5. Echoes of the Divine: Markandeshwar TempleAncient faith on the banks of the Wainganga, where worship and history continue to live together.
6. Life by the RiverEveryday livelihoods continuing in an intimate relationship with water and landscape.
7. Roads & ConnectivityNew connections reaching deeper through the forests and changing access across the district.
8. Wildlife: Kamlapur Hatti CampElephants at Kamlapur Hatti Camp, one of Gadchiroli's distinctive wildlife experiences.
9. Faces of GadchiroliA face carrying the character, identity and generations of a land.
10. Tradition & IdentityA living culture expressed through dress, community and generations of belonging.
11. Healthcare: Lloyds Kali Ammal Memorial HospitalMaternal healthcare at Lloyds Kali Ammal Memorial Hospital, Hedri, bringing medical care closer to communities in Gadchiroli.
12. New Opportunities: Lloyds Sports AcademyYoung athletes at Lloyds Sports Academy, an initiative of Lloyds Infinite Foundation nurturing sporting talent in Gadchiroli.

When the Client Said: Discover Gadchiroli

When Lt Col Vikram Mehta contacted me on behalf of Lloyd Metals & Energy Limited and its Managing Director, B. Prabhakaran, and asked whether I would be interested in spending eight to ten days photographing Gadchiroli, I wasn't immediately sure.

It was a substantial assignment — a coffee-table book, films and an extensive photographic archive. Between our core team, local support and drivers, around twelve people would be moving with multiple cameras, video equipment and drones across a vast district.

I was accustomed to working in sensitive areas, but usually with very small teams. They require fewer clearances, attract less attention and can move quickly. This would be different.

During our conversation, he said something that stayed with me: “You have photographed so many different kinds of subjects. From tigers to tribals and temples like Markandeshwar, I think you are going to find Gadchiroli fascinating.”

I discussed it with Rupali. She was considerably more excited than I was. Eventually, curiosity won.

What surprised me even more was the brief.

Since Lloyd Metals & Energy Limited had commissioned the project, I naturally assumed that much of it would revolve around the company. Instead, LMEL wanted the larger story to be Gadchiroli itself — its people, landscape, tribal culture, heritage, temples, wildlife, arts and crafts and places waiting to be discovered. The company's own industrial and development story was to occupy a much smaller part of the book.

At one point, I asked what exactly the angle was. The answer was wonderfully simple.

There was no predetermined angle. We had travelled and photographed extensively across the country; we should explore Gadchiroli, photograph what we saw and decide how best to present it to a wider world.

That was considerable creative freedom — and considerable trust.

We would have to discover Gadchiroli before we could decide how to photograph it.

To be continued...