3 Friends + Students, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2017

Just two days ago this image was made, thanks to the beautiful students at this madrasa... and of course our hosts Imdadullah Nadvi Nadvi and Munshad Ali Chauhan. The students were playing around with expressions after our formal session, and made groups of two and three in the process.

Some would look at the camera while some would look at me, or my shaved head if the hat was off. The expressions varied greatly, as in this image alone. Every time we informed the girls that now the smaller camera would be used, and that it was time to make group photographs... the gloves were off.

Poor Mukesh Poswal would have his hands full, with almost 30 girls speaking at the same time and asking to be photographed next. This session was recorded with a video camera as well, and is a treasure to behold. The colors are almost as vibrant as the girls, and their love for each other.

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Facebook
Instagram

Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Benefit + Ten Thousand Villages, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, March 6, 2015

Tonight this young girl received one of the best gift a child can ask for, a chance at a quality education. So many of my good friends, and family, came through this evening at Ten Thousand Villages and through their generosity one school is now funded for an entire year. We hope that many more will show up tomorrow and make this event even more successful!

To those present tonight, and your humble selves know your identities, I send my deepest gratitude through this portrait of a student presently attending classes near Virat Nagar, Rajasthan. This is the face that will be in my dreams tonight as I sleep well knowing we succeeded in making a difference in her world.

Thank you Laura at Ten Thousand Villages for allowing the images to be shown in your beautiful space!

Website

Twitter

Tumblr

Parmeena + Girls Bridge School, Mewat, Haryana, India, 2015

In time for this weekend's benefit for the girls' schools, Humana People to People India just sent this testimonial. She attends a Girls Education Centre in Mewat, Haryana… a predominantly Muslim region. This is her story, and I look forward to seeing her in less than two weeks.

Parmeena, the twelve year old daughter of Akhtar and Rahisan, lives in Ghasera village of Mewat. The belief that she has been brought up in a conservative environment was strengthened when the staff of Girls Bridge Education centre approached her parents and they flatly denied the need to educate her. However, with consistent efforts and support of other satisfied parents in the community, the staff could gradually convince them to enrol Parmeena at the Centre. She used to attend the Centre for half a day and then used to leave for her Urdu classes. It was tough with her as the teachers had to start from the scratch in every subject.

The staff started with the basics in every subject and she started catching up at a slower pace. Her parents paid regular visits to the Centre, to ensure whether she is really studying and is able to learn! It has been eleven months that she has been attending the Centre and has started doing basic arithmetic like addition/subtraction and is able to read small words in Hindi. The progress so far, has been able to convince her parents that their decision to send her to the centre was not wrong. She has also started devoting proper time to the Centre and has tweaked the timings of the Urdu classes, which is a fair indicator of her progress and the changed perception of the parents.

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Schools for Girls Benefit, Humana People to People India, Ten Thousand Villages, International Women's Day, 2015

Hope to see familiar and unfamiliar faces there, and to raise funding for the schools while looking through the incredible inventory from around the world at Ten Thousand Villages! Anyone interested in this work and too far to attend can be as involved as they wish to be, and send me a note through the link below.

Website