The Hindu god Shiva has many identities, one of them being ‘Ardhanarishvara’, where Shiva embodies both female and male creative energy of the universe. I took this image in the fabulous rock-cut cave temple on Elephanta Island, near Mumbai. Note that Shiva has a breast on one side of his body, but is male on the other. He/She was ahead of his time. You’d think that a country with a god like that might be more open-minded about people with varying sexualities and gender identities. It makes me think of the time I was on a train and some ‘Lady Boys’ or transvestites came aboard to beg for money. It made me think there was a documentary to be made there somewhere. What kind of life did they have? India is probably the world’s most fascinating country, but also one of the most difficult ones to travel in. Still, I have such fantastic memories of my time there in the mid-1980s, when I backpacked around for about 4 months. No country has as many wonders, no country has such tangible poverty. What a place.