The experience of being a widow is a inseparable part of my life, and also of the life  of the women documented in my photographs. women that face the brutal loss of their family members by predatory animals..

The photographed women live on islands in the Sundarban region, in the heart of a forest reserve located between the Ganges River and the Indian Ocean, at the head of the Bay of Bengal.

Near their homes, the world is changing and turning upside down due to the climate crisis that also threatens us:

• Sea level rise and flood residential areas too often.
• Severe cyclones repeatedly hit the region.
• The habitats are shrinking and the animals in the forest are becoming more aggressive. They also prey on humans, more than ever.

The men, husbands and sons of the women of the community, go out into the forest for livelihood purposes – and many perish and never return. While the burden of livelihood is transferred and placed on the women, these women continue to support each other, and are also helped by family members who do not turn their backs on them. A widow in India is challenged twice due to the disaster and due to a traditional social difficulty of excluding widows from life. Thus – in the shadow of difficulty and loneliness, they succeed and live life bravely.

"Widows: Exclusion of Belonging" is an ongoing photography project that I started shooting in 2020 in the holy city of Vrindavan (Vrindavan) in India, in collaboration with the Maitri association that provides support and gives life to widows in VRINDAVAN and RADHA KUND in India.

The project was photographed with the assistance of nature guides from Gosaba Island and Satjelia Island in the SUNDARBAN Mangrove Forest Reserve at the head of the Bay of Bengal:    

Akhil Babdhu Konar       Santiranjan Jodda     Ratan Jana