Artist Ganesh Vanare was struck by the silent eloquence of hands holding onto train handles, and took pictures of them, posting to his Instagram account last month
Representation pic
When multi-disciplinary artist Ganesh Vanare uploaded photos of men holding on to the handles on local trains on his Instagram account, it struck a chord with Mumbaikars. What was so special about what is part of our daily commute? Maybe just that… the unnoticed toll that our hands take to navigate the city.
Ganesh Vanare
Vanare, a Mumbai boy through and through, says that he felt inspired one day when he took a photo on his phone of a man holding a handle in the train. “It was a random click and it made me pause and think — there’s a story behind these hands,” he says. After this it was like Vanare couldn’t unsee it. “I kept noticing it more — how people hold the handle, how their hands express fatigue, strength, loneliness and some had a quality of silence around them,” he adds.
The observation became a habit for over five years (2019 to 2025) and the end result was the photo series. “Now I have over a hundred photos in this series, all taken inside Mumbai local trains.” He adds, “As a Mumbaikar, the local train is very close to my heart. It’s part of our daily life. And as a photographer, the train gives me so many emotions and stories to capture — people holding on, eyes looking out of the window, hands speaking their own language.”
(From left to right)
1 UNPAID LABOUR: It just had so much emotion
2 ANCHOR FOR EVERYONE: Every hand I’ve captured tells a different story. This series is about the people of Mumbai — their daily journey, their strength, and their silence
3 JOINT EFFORT: At the end of a weary day, sometimes it takes two hands to hold oneself up straight
4 HANGING ON BY A FINGERNAIL: For me it symbolises a difficult life
5 POWER FIST: The way the fingers gripped the handle said so much — maybe about a long day, or just daily routine
Most of the photos are from the Central line, especially between Thane and Dadar, where Vanare used to travel often, he says. “Some were taken during busy office hours, and some during quieter times. I always keep my phone or camera with me — and I keep observing.”
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