One photograph was all it took for Pappu Devi to unexpectedly become one of the most recognizable faces in Pushkar, India.
More than two decades ago, a photographer visiting this famous fair in Rajasthan was struck by her unusual yellow-green eyes and decided to take her portrait.
The image began circulating and eventually became postcards, souvenirs, and tourist merchandise. Her penetrating gaze led many people to know her simply as the woman with “tigress eyes”.
But while her photograph traveled far and wide, Pappu’s life was much more modest.
Decades later, she still lives in Pushkar and works at a small street stall where she sells handmade bags decorated with mirrors and other traditional accessories. Curiously, among the items sold there are the very postcards bearing her face.
Pappu says she never received recognition or financial compensation for the photograph that made her famous. “People should show some respect”, she said when an Indian media outlet tracked her down years later.
And her distinctive gaze did not end with her.
Pappu has three daughters, and two of them inherited her distinctive light eyes, prompting new photographs of the family to attract attention online as well.
Her old photo went viral again in 2026, almost two decades after it was taken.
While millions may recognize those unforgettable “tigress eyes”, the woman behind the famous photograph is still sitting in front of her small stall in Pushkar, selling handicrafts and postcards featuring the gaze that made her an unwitting icon.