Indian Seaside

For several years, I have been travelling along India’s coastline, from Tamil Nadu to Kerala, from Maharashtra to Odisha, observing and photographing the emergence of a leisure culture driven in particular by the rise of the Indian middle class.

From my very first visits to Indian beaches, I was struck by the joy and enthusiasm that filled these places. Families and groups of friends gathered to enjoy the sea, the entertainment and the simple pleasure of being together. There was an infectious energy in these scenes, a sense of collective excitement that sometimes bordered on euphoria. I quickly found myself drawn into this atmosphere, amused by certain situations and moved by the spontaneity of these moments. It was this shared energy that inspired me to photograph these scenes of everyday life.

Yet beyond their joyful spontaneity, these scenes of popular seaside holidays reveal something deeper about the aspirations of a rapidly growing middle class. At times, they remind me of the early days of paid holidays in France, when access to leisure and holidays became a symbol of social progress.

For this project, my photographic approach, somewhere between street photography and documentary photography, has focused on ordinary gestures, attitudes and everyday situations. Between the bustle of collective excitement and quieter, more contemplative moments, I have sought to capture scenes of seaside life that reflect the social transformations taking place.

With Indian Seaside, I aim to create a portrait of an India in transition, photographing not the major events that shape its history, but the ordinary moments that quietly tell the story of its transformation.