Karhera: A Photo Book

Abstract

This book tells the story of Karhera, a village between Delhi and Ghaziabad in India, through photographs, maps and words. It was produced as part of an ESPA-funded research project on ‘Risks and Responses to Urban Futures’. The photos were taken and collected with the collaboration of local residents, and paper copies of the book were distributed to people in Karhera as a record of their experience.

Karhera is a peri-urban village in Ghaziabad, a district in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Indian and British-based researchers have been working in the area with local people since 2006.

Together with Karhera’s residents, we have studied the changes in environment, agriculture, social patterns and governance, and looked at possible lessons for urban planning and development. With this photo book, we aim to reflect their experience, and we hope that this book will help them reflect on how they wish to shape their present and future.