People are better at remembering other people through their faces than their names. We come across so many faces every day, and they in turn sometimes shape who we are. A face that you share a long, arduous bus ride with might give you a new perspective to life. And even when the memory of the person fails you, the impact that a face makes to your life lives on like a ripple effect—one that is sometimes more profound than by those that you see daily.

On the other hand, there are faces that don’t leave an impression, no matter how many times you come across them. They don’t beg to be remembered; they don’t come with stories to tell. There is a face that delivered me my morning papers, one that drove me to the airport, the one that I was annoyed with only because it stared at me for too long, or even the one that I found so intriguing and caught my gaze for too long. Faces that express and impress; and the fact that every face is different from another is fascinating. My life is shaped by an array of faces which work in synergy to shape my day. 

As a photographer, I capture so many faces in my camera—some known, many unknown. This series, however, is a tribute to all the faceless people that I have encountered in my life, on the streets or on the journeys I have undertaken. It is gentle reminder that a lot of the times, I too am just a face in the crowd; sometimes even ‘faceless’.

Text and Photos: Rabik Upadhayay

Chasan, Kathmandu.

Taumadhi, Bhaktapur.

Bhadrakali, Kathmandu.

Taulihawa, Kapilvastu.

Bhedasingh, Kathmandu.

Mangalbajaar, Patan.

Haraincha, Biratnagar.

Dattatreya, Bhaktapur.

Bangemudha, Kathmandu.

Teku, Kathmandu.

Thamel, Kathmandu.