Taryn Simon: A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters

Letter to the chief judicial magistrate of Azamgarh demanding official recognition that Shivdutt, Chandrabhan, Phoolchand, and Ram Surat Yadav are living and maintain legal title to their land. The letter also requests that legal action be taken against all officers and family members who filed false information.
Family file, Azamgarh Photograph: Taryn Simon/Courtesy the artist

1. Yadav, Shivdutt, ~75 (birth date unknown). Sugarcane, wheat, and paddy farmer. Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
2. Yadav, Nageena, ~45 (birth date unknown). Farmer. Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India Photograph: Taryn Simon/Courtesy the artist

d. Corpse of a person with leprosy floating in the Ganges River. The dead are cremated on the banks of the river or tied to heavy stones and sunk in the water. Dhanaiy Yadav, Shivdutt Yadav's father, was cremated along the banks and his ashes were scattered in the river.
Ganges River, Varanasi Photograph: Taryn Simon/Courtesy the artist

9. Yadav, Babloo, ~11/12 (birth date unknown). Student. Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
10. Yadav, Mukesh, ~10/11 (birth date unknown). Student. Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India Photograph: Taryn Simon/Courtesy the artist

c. Record of land ownership listing Shivdutt, Chandrabhan, and Phoolchand Yadav as dead and granting transfer of their land to their cousins.
Family file, Azamgarh Photograph: Taryn Simon/Courtesy the artist