Meet the Patels: a photographer’s portraits of twins with a shared surname

When Mumbai-based photographer Ketaki Sheth moved to London in the mid-1990s, after her new husband, Aurobind Patel, became design director of The Economist, she came across a directory listing some 30,000 people with his surname in Britain. Intrigued, she began researching the diaspora of Patels — a name predominantly found in the state of Gujarat, on the west coast of India. She decided to focus on twins with the surname for a photographic project, and spent the next three years tracking them down across Britain and Gujarat. Her carefully posed portraits reveal both the cultural differences and shared inheritance of those who stayed in India and those who came to Britain. Sheth, who was born in 1957, now lives and works in Mumbai. Her portraits of Patel twins will be shown at the international photography fair Photo London from the 13th-17th May.

Twinspotting: Photographs of Patel Twins in Britain & India by Ketaki Sheth/PHOTOINK. Photo London, National Hall at Olympia W14, May 13-17. Readers can use the code SUNDAYTIMES to redeem 20 per cent off tickets at photolondon.seetickets.com

Two adults help two young children, Sanchit and Sawan, hold wooden sticks in a courtyard. Sanchit and Sawan, Gujarat, 1998Ketaki Sheth/PHOTOINK

Jigna and Jilpa, two young women, posing outdoors in Middlesex. Jigna and Jilpa, Middlesex, 1996Ketaki Sheth/PHOTOINK

Yesha and Niddhi on a swing, Gujarat. Yesha and Niddhi, Gujarat, 1998Ketaki Sheth/PHOTOINK

Twin girls Bijli and Bindiya standing in front of a shed. Bijli and Bindiya, Kent, 1996Ketaki Sheth/PHOTOINK

Ramesh and Suresh relaxing on a couch in Middlesex. Ramesh and Suresh, Middlesex, 1997Ketaki Sheth/PHOTOINK

Two young men, Rahul and Ronak, in Gujarat, India. Rahul and Ronak, Gujarat, 1998Ketaki Sheth/PHOTOINK

Sanjiv and Sandip, two young men, stand behind the counter of a store stocked with tobacco and alcohol. Sanjiv and Sandip, Ascot, 1996Ketaki Sheth/PHOTOINK