Anish Sarai: India and Beyond

A Parallel Planets piece by Pepe Serapio

Everyone, and everything, has a story. These stories are not always apparent at first glance, which is a good thing, considering how they reveal more about the world in one sitting than we could ever hope to understand in one lifetime.  Only the worthy few are allowed to witness these stories first-hand, but through them, the rest of us can at least get a glimpse of the bigger picture and maybe even live on forever as a story ourselves.

Mumbai's resident storyteller, Anish Sarai, takes his visual cues from honest people in their natural environment. His fascination with film photography pays off in his portraits and street photos, effectively capturing and emphasizing the nuances of Indian culture as well as various other cultures in black and white. From children peering into closed doors to grown men resting their eyes on a bus, Anish reveals an intimate side of India that is more personal than commercial. This is not a foreign travel show's Indian episode: this is Anish's India.

Travel is such a big part of Anish's process that his exploration of the depth and limits of his subjects and techniques lends heavily to his work, every final result reflecting all the love and passion he pours into each image. It's always a treat to see someone showcase their culture in such a unique way that familiarizes what was once strange and distant. Even Anish's portraits subscribe to that familiarization: the tone and framing done in such a way that draws focus to the narrative behind the photograph and not just the subject alone.


Anish made his mark in 2014, winning the Behance portfolio review and expanding his artistic influence to Miami and Tokyo through the EyeEm World Tour. His work has also been featured online. As a freelance photographer, Anish has ample experience getting his photographs to not only work as stories but also work for him.

For more of Anish Sarai's stories of Mumbai and beyond, visit his website.