Participants ride their traditional bullock-carts during the annual Pedgaon bullock-cart race festival in Maharashtra's Satara district on June 21, 2026. Bailgada Sharyat, or the bullock-cart race, is one of the most popular rural sports in India's richest state, Maharashtra. The 400-year-old traditional event draws over 1,000 competitors and thousands of onlookers to Satara every year. Deeply ingrained in the state's rural culture, bullock-cart racing continues to be a representation of agricultural heritage and communal pride. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP via Getty Images)

Participants ride their traditional bullock-carts during the annual Pedgaon bullock-cart race festival in Maharashtra's Satara district on June 21, 2026. Bailgada Sharyat, or the bullock-cart race, is one of the most popular rural sports in India's richest state, Maharashtra. The 400-year-old traditional event draws over 1,000 competitors and thousands of onlookers to Satara every year. Deeply ingrained in the state's rural culture, bullock-cart racing continues to be a representation of agricultural heritage and communal pride. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP via Getty Images)

Participants ride their traditional bullock-carts during the annual Pedgaon bullock-cart race festival in Maharashtra's Satara district on June 21, 2026. Bailgada Sharyat, or the bullock-cart race, is one of the most popular rural sports in India's richest state, Maharashtra. The 400-year-old traditional event draws over 1,000 competitors and thousands of onlookers to Satara every year. Deeply ingrained in the state's rural culture, bullock-cart racing continues to be a representation of agricultural heritage and communal pride. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP via Getty Images)

Participants offload their bull ahead of the annual Pedgaon traditional bullock-cart racing festival in Maharashtra's Satara district on June 20, 2026. Bailgada Sharyat, or the bullock-cart race, is one of the most popular rural sports in India's richest state, Maharashtra. The 400-year-old traditional event draws over 1,000 competitors and thousands of onlookers to Satara every year. Deeply ingrained in the state's rural culture, bullock-cart racing continues to be a representation of agricultural heritage and communal pride. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP via Getty Images)

Participants ride their traditional bullock-carts during the annual Pedgaon bullock-cart race festival in Maharashtra's Satara district on June 21, 2026. Bailgada Sharyat, or the bullock-cart race, is one of the most popular rural sports in India's richest state, Maharashtra. The 400-year-old traditional event draws over 1,000 competitors and thousands of onlookers to Satara every year. Deeply ingrained in the state's rural culture, bullock-cart racing continues to be a representation of agricultural heritage and communal pride. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP via Getty Images)

AFP presents a reportage of 28 photos taken by Punit Paranjpe between June 20 and June 21, 2026 featuring the annual Pedgaon bullock-cart race festival in Maharashtra's Satara district. Bailgada Sharyat, or the bullock-cart race, is one of the most popular rural sports in India's richest state, Maharashtra. The 400-year-old traditional event draws over 1,000 competitors and thousands of onlookers to Satara every year. Deeply ingrained in the state's rural culture, bullock-cart racing continues to be a representation of agricultural heritage and communal pride. Search for all these reportage images using: INDIA-TRADITION-BULLOCK CART-OFFBEAT Search "REPORTAGE" to source all feature, magazine and visual stories. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP via Getty Images)

Participants ride their traditional bullock-carts during the annual Pedgaon bullock-cart race festival in Maharashtra's Satara district on June 21, 2026. Bailgada Sharyat, or the bullock-cart race, is one of the most popular rural sports in India's richest state, Maharashtra. The 400-year-old traditional event draws over 1,000 competitors and thousands of onlookers to Satara every year. Deeply ingrained in the state's rural culture, bullock-cart racing continues to be a representation of agricultural heritage and communal pride. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP via Getty Images)

Local villagers gather to watch the annual Pedgaon traditional bullock-cart racing festival in Maharashtra's Satara district on June 21, 2026. Bailgada Sharyat, or the bullock-cart race, is one of the most popular rural sports in India's richest state, Maharashtra. The 400-year-old traditional event draws over 1,000 competitors and thousands of onlookers to Satara every year. Deeply ingrained in the state's rural culture, bullock-cart racing continues to be a representation of agricultural heritage and communal pride. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP via Getty Images)