Solar Solutions for India's Farmers

Photographing Oorja’s work in Uttar Pradesh, I moved through sunbaked farmland, small village roads, and quiet moments between harvests, documenting the people behind the work. Commissioned to tell this story, I followed the farmers as they adapted to a changing reality, where solar-powered irrigation and milling are replacing costly diesel, where water flows when it’s needed, and where livelihoods depend less on chance.

For me, photographing these farmers meant capturing resilience, the weight of long days, the quiet relief of seeing a season’s work pay off. Some had spent years struggling with unpredictable costs, their crops tied to fuel prices that could rise overnight. Now, they control their water supply, grind their own grains, and share resources within their communities.

Through my lens, I wanted to show the details—the rough hands gripping tools, the focus in a woman’s eyes as she works the mill, the shift in daily life when uncertainty fades, even just a little. These images are a record of change, not in grand gestures, but in the steady rhythm of work made easier, in water reaching the roots, in small victories that build toward something greater.