Trupal Pandya's "The Last Living Head Hunters" is abou the Longwa village is situated on the eastern edge of India's north-eastern province of Nagaland. With Myanmar on one side and India on the other, this village is home to the fierce Konyak Naga Tribe. Konyaks have been known as fierce head hunters from centuries till the 1970s. Killing an enemy and bringing back their head was considered a rite of passage and was rewarded by a tattoo on the face or the chest of the warrior. What money is to us is what heads were to them.

Animal skulls and bones decorate the walls of every Konyak house showcasing the pride and respect of the warrior. Human skulls too adorned the walls before the Konyaks converted to Christianity. Many of the tribes traditional practices and cultures have nearly vanished. The most feared warriors of yesteryear have almost diminished into just being a few old men with faded tattoos who can now be spotted smoking opium around the village, sharing stories about their glorious past.
-Trupal Pandya

My goal was to revive their sense of pride, by capturing their striking personalities and telling their story. I would describe my style as travel/Documentary and formal portraiture. I am highly influenced by photographers like Richard Avedon, Platon and Steve McCurry. I used to intern with Steve McCurry in my first year of college. I believe I learned a great deal about travel, lighting and workflow. I think he has a big influence on my work.
-Trupal Pandya

Be curious and be prepared to work extremely hard!
-Trupal Pandya

I used Profoto B1 strobes, Nikon D800E, Nikkor 24-70mm 2.8 Lens and a Profoto 3ft Octa.
-Trupal Pandya

About Trupal Pandya

Born and brought up in Varodara, India, Trupal Pandya is a 27-year-old professional photographer, currently working toward completing a bachelor’s degree in photography at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. Trupal stumbled into photography 6 years ago, on a tour across India, along with a nice DSLR to chronicle the country’s vast hinterland. What started as a fun trip eventually transitioned to a career-busting move that has led him to pick up the lenses full time. See more of his works on Behance, Instagram or his website.