In 2016, a man and a person dressed as a teddy bear were deep in conversation in a dark room, and the only bright spot was the pink of the costume. They were sitting for an image being shot by photographer Soumya Sankar Bose.

The man, Pradipto, met Bose while the latter was working on a photo series titled Full Moon on a Dark Night, which explores the psychological aspect of how men and women in India deal with gender identities and antiquated laws that create an environment of prejudice and discrimination.

“Pradipto has a recurring dream in which he is talking to a teddy bear,” said Bose, a Magnum Foundation fellow. “They talk about his life and emotions [as if they were] friends. Pradipto is not sure who the person is in the costume, but the fact that he was gifted a pink teddy bear by his ex-boyfriend, whom he misses constantly, could have something to do with this.” Read more via scroll.in