For Umar Para – a 22-year-old photographer from the Indian union territory of Kashmir, the world’s most militarised zone – New Delhi, the national capital, was always the land of equal opportunity when he moved to the city seeking employment, last year. At least that’s what he was led to believe through the numerous shows and movies about the promise of the Great Indian Dream he’d grown up watching. Against the harsh socio-political landscape of Kashmir, the sprawling metropolis gave him hope that he could finally work, follow his passion for photography and make money from it, without the fear of the air being punctuated by gunshots and curfew sirens. 

This was last year when “quiet quitting” wasn’t as popular a concept as it is now. While the term was likely coined in 2009 by an economist, there are similarities to the Chinese lifestyle and passive-resistance movement Tang Ping, which loosely translates to “lying flat” that gained ground, around May of last year. Tang Ping rejects the culture of overwork, and harsh working conditions, including the 996 work culture (a work schedule adopted by certain companies in China that have employees work from 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week), and takes a stand against a fiercely competitive job market.