Clay Bowl, Rajasthan, India, 2018

Just happened that as I walked behind the tree in the previous post,  I found this beautiful artifact, and immediately was drawn to it. Now and then as I walk through the villages in my work I look for items to bring back home, and was beyond fortunate to have seen it.

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Temple + Tree, Rajasthan, India, 2018

This image was made as we were driving around Virat Nagar. My friend Mukesh allowed us to stop after this scene unfolded itself to our right. It was in the middle of a village. We parked to the right and I walked over with my camera.

As with most times we stopped, boys walked over to check out the visitors. They were most welcome to do so of course, for we were in their village. They were very sweet and watched in good humor as I set the camera up. After this image was made, I asked a few of them to walk into the frame and almost all of them did. These are the kind of moments photography allows me to experience.

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Note: Image made with a Hasselblad V system.

Teacher in Virat Nagar, Rajasthan, India, 2018

This is a portrait of the teacher in one of two village schools near Virat Nagar, Rajasthan. In all 40 or so students attend classes in these two schools, and in both villages sewing centers are thriving. In three weeks I head to this area to once again document the great work being accomplished, as well as the joy of the students.

I have been visiting these areas for the past 10 years, and those of you who know me know this work. The team is working hard in eight villages, and has three schools for girls and five sewing centers providing education for girls who would otherwise be lacking such an opportunity.
All interested in supporting this work do reach out to me and we will make it happen! 

1 Girl 1 Year = $100

For those interested I will of course provide further, detailed information. This is our way to fulfill that great cliché, making a difference... hoping to turn that cliché into a reality!

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Local Girl + Village Near Advaita Garden, Alwar, Rajasthan, India, 2017

This past trip to India was a revelation photographically, bringing me closer to the children than in previous years. Thanks to my dear brothers Mukesh and Tejpal, we walked through the villages near Advaita Garden with camera in hand. 

Without such guidance, it is nearly impossible to walk through rural India and make meaningful portraits. We met this young girl when we searched for her cousin one day, a girl with incredibly clear eyes. It turned out that this young girl was a natural in front of the camera.

On this day she walked over to us as her cousin walked away to collect water for the family. Her hair was as seen in this photograph, and she was about to pull it back when we asked her to leave it alone. She was pleasantly surprised at the request, smiling along the way to this wall. We tried to find a spot with subdued sunlight, and chose this space. She positioned herself so that the sunlight touched her face as we released the shutter.

I look forward to printing this negative in the darkroom soon!

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/100 mm combination onto Ilford Delta film.

Young Student + Kitchen, Panipat, Haryana, 2017

This past week was spent in Shamli District of Uttar Pradesh, and we were beyond fortunate to have been hosted by our dear friends Imdadullah Nadvi Nadvi and Ch Munshad Ali Chauhan. These two brothers have given us so much since our first meeting in 2013, and continue to do so with an introduction to this young student's school.

Her portrait was made just yesterday, and for most of you earlier today. She and her friends have taken part in my photography for the past two years, and have now joined our family of schools thanks to the generosity of two dozen people here on Facebook. We will begin sewing classes for the older girls in the school, as well as their sisters from the villages. Nirvana Bodhisattva and his team will also begin training the teachers in her school, and we hope improve relations between the two communities in the region through this collaboration.

In this portrait she was photographed in front of the school's kitchen, with the use of a reflector thanks to the brilliant work of Mukesh Poswal. This good man helped me make portraits of the children in the region over the past week... without his assistance none of it would have been possible. We also were able to record her voice as she performed for us in the school's mosque, a true honor indeed.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Refugee + Home, Village near Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2013

This was the scene which greeted me on my first visit to the area. Just a few months earlier, this region experienced horrific violence between Hindus and Muslims, resulting in tens of thousands displaced. The camps we visited on this day were the result.

The local families had given their lands for the sake of the displaced, allowing the recovery process to begin. We walked around the camps and met many of the families affected. With the permission of the community we were able to do our photography, and also were able to record some of the stories through interviews.

This very camp was located just outside of our host's village, and on our host's land as well. Decades earlier their grandfather had done the same for another community by the name of the Banjara Tribe which, to this day, still lived on the land since transferred over to their community. So this is a host family which impressed me deeply, through their words and even more so through their actions.

The kindness and trust with which these families treated us is the inspiration behind our present proposal to open a school in this region. As per my conversations with Asrar Ahmad and Nirvana Bodhisattva, it was time to act for the sake of sectarian peace rather than violence.

Since this image was made many of these families have built permanent homes, while just as many have returned to their villages to begin the rebuilding process. Through Nirvana Bodhisattva's guidance we hope that our first established school is a model for the region, and is the news which is broadcast outside of the region.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Interfaith Collaboration, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2016

We now have 7 benefactors, and 17 more to go!

24 People x $20 per month = School for 240 Children

These are two of the young students to benefit from our generosity, just as we will benefit infinitely in return. A few minutes ago Mary Tujaka became our sixth person, and gave me some wonderful insight. So with her guidance, I am providing some details regarding this school.

It will be located in the Shamli District of Uttar Pradesh, India. Nirvana Bodhisattva and his team at Nirvanavan Foundation have been invited by the local Muslim leaders in the region to help augment the schools in their region. We are beginning with this school, and will establish it as a center of learning and a model for the other villages in the district. The truth is that there are over 120 villages, and this is only the beginning.

The existing school is a wonderful madrasa for religious learning, and in accordance to the community's desires, Nirvana Bodhisattva will help establish a center of learning which will include Hindi, Math, English and Art. The leaders of the region welcome this interfaith collaboration, and we hope that it is new news rather than the news which concentrates on the division in the region.

The budget for the school is $12,000 and my intent is to raise $6,000 through this circle. The rest will be matched 1:1 through a generous benefactor, thus achieving our budget. The funds are to be raised for the school year of 2018, since our first year has been funded already!

It takes two dozen of us coming together and giving $20 per month. Certainly this is something we can and need to do, for our future depends on the education of our children.

The community leaders have given us their land, and the school for our use. It is a most beautiful space, and the land around the school is beyond serene. All of you may refer to the previous posts for some additional information, and leave a comment if interested of course!

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Our Elders, Village near Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2016

"Our time is near its end now... but there is still time for our children, please help educate them."

I remember their words to this day, as we talked about the future school in their village. Their sons and nephews have come together, with their guidance, and have built the school building in which Nirvana Bodhisattva and this community will establish a school for their children.

These two men, and their community, are as interested in educating their boys as they are in educating their girls. They have opened their hearts to us, in the spirit of brotherhood. We wish to repay this gesture with our efforts.

The land behind them is theirs, and they have kindly given of it for this project. The possibilities are immense, as there are over 120 similar villages in this district. Our aim is to establish a model school for 240 children in this very spot, and then replicate its success in village after village.

This region of India has sadly seen more than its share of violence between communities of different faiths, and has been in the center of news all too many times for the wrong reasons. We hope that this project attracts the news outlets, this time for harmony and peace between these communities.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Young Student + Interfaith Effot, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2016

This is one of the students which would benefit from the new interfaith collaboration being proposed by Nirvanavan Foundation and the host villages in Uttar Pradesh, India. We hope that this smile, this spirit helps people understand the meaning of such work, and that we may be able to find the funding necessary to make this a reality for her and so many more like her.

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Note: This image was scanned through the negative sleeves for preview only, made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination. 

Child Laborer + Bricks, Haryana, India, March 16, 2015

She is but one of millions bearing the brunt of globalization, making possible the gleaming buildings rising all across the Indian landscape for example. She works in this position all day under the hot sun, turning one brick after another in a seemingly endless line of bricks, as her fragile body moves along the lines gracefully.

Her family came from the northeastern portion of India in search of work, for back home there was even less. She lacks access to a school, medicine, running water, safe housing, electricity and so much more. Her family lives in a small brick room with a corrugated, metal roof... making the interior unbearably hot. The room lacks windows, yet is unable to protect the children from mosquitos, roaches and the like.

She represents a sizable portion of the population, those responsible for harvesting the rare earth elements for the sake of modern phones, for making the bricks necessary for the gleaming high-rises. She is the price society pays for its progress, hers is the pain few in power will ever see.

So while countless politicians argue about what is to be done, she gets up every single day and pays the price for their inaction with her labor, with the loss of her childhood. For her the new school is being introduced, she is our inspiration.

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Note: This image was made with a Fuji GA645 system, onto Kodak TMX film.

Young Student, Student of Friend, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2016

For those interested in our interfaith collaboration we present one of the students for whom this work is dedicated. She attends our friend's school in a small village near Kairana, and has the met beautiful voice. When we arrived she was the first one called upon to sing for us, and stole our hearts.

When Nirvana Bodhisattva heard about my visit to the school once again, he shared his thoughts regarding an interfaith project. It seemed that he had been interested in some time and saw this as a chance to explore the idea.

We went in advance and photographed the villages for three days, always being welcomed thanks to our generous hosts. Then Nirvana and his team arrived, and the project went from an idea to a greater possibility. Our hosts in the first school had a surprise waiting for us, as they organized a presentation in the mosque while we visited with the students.

It was a wonderful affair, and Nirvana Bodhisattvawas asked to speak in front of the entire student body. All of the boys and the girls sat on the floor of the mosque, and heard something perhaps new to them spoken by their visitor that day. I of course understood nothing, but could tell that everyone nodded in agreement, everyone from the students to the teachers to the religious leaders.

This gave me the confidence to hope that the project would be well-received. During that same visit Nirvana and his team spoke with our hosts, and gained an initial understanding of our collaboration.

We have now a clear vision of this project, and are presenting it to the communities in the States for support and funding. So if this story touches you, and you feel that this is something behind which you can stand, do let us know what we can do to make this happen for all of us.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3, with available light only.

Three Refugees, Uttar Pradesh, India, December of 2013

These three children were at the time escaping the violence brought upon them by an uncaring world. They were living in tents made of thin canvas, their only protection from the elements. My visits were made possible by my dear brother Asrar, as he sacrificed time with his family to be with me.

When we visited this encampment the children were beyond curious. They ran up to us immediately. I could have only imagined what they were thinking about the man with the camera, the only visitor from the outside that they had had up until that day we were told later.

They were nonetheless more than courageous when standing for these informal portraits, having fun with each other's time in front of the lens. Although they only had a minute to express themselves, all did so without exception… with such honesty.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2.

Refugee from Sectarian Violence, Uttar Pradesh, India, March of 2015

On our return to the refugee camps from two years ago, we were told that most of the camps were now vacant fields. Most of the families had either settled in the area or returned to their homes. While this was of course excellent news, for many their lives had changed very little.

Such was the case with this little girl, and her family. Over two years ago they were forced from their homes by yet another bout of sectarian violence. They had moved to this part of Uttar Pradesh and were provided land in order to begin the recovery process. A few organizations had stepped up and build public latrines and mosques, provided blankets and clothes, and even began the arduous process of documenting their stories. 

Two years later she was still living in the camp. When we arrived she was listening the Koranic lessons with the rest of the children as they gathered under the fabric of a large tent. 

The inhabitants of the camp were familiar with my hosts and allowed me to make portraits of the children. We began with the boys as was customary for our afternoon sessions, and then made portraits of the girls in front of the school. This young girl, in front of the men in her camp, had the courage to get up and stand for her portrait in front of yet another stranger. The determination in her eyes made me pause then, as it does now.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2.

Young Girl + Temple, Delhi, India, November of 2013

One day when nobody wanted to walk with me, I decided to walk by myself to the closest slum in Delhi. The team at the foundation had worked so hard for me over the past two weeks, perhaps it was right for me to go at it alone this morning. So I took off and headed by foot to the slum about a mile away.

It was a bit daunting when I arrived, as the more mainstream residents from across the street looked on. However, the people living in the slum were much more open to my presence even though we lacked a common language. Within a few minutes I was walking into the center of the slum on my own, and being greeted with at least acceptance.

In the center was the tiny square, where residents enjoyed talking with tea from the local shop. They offered tea without asking, and we sat down, conversing with facial expressions only.

I thanked them and began walking through the alleys to see this small girl, wearing the most incredible sweater. I asked if we could walk to the outskirts of the slum for open light, and they agreed. It just so happened that this was also the spot for the slum's garbage, and we went about setting everything up in the midst of it all. People walked by but said nothing, a few remained to watch us make this portrait.

She was incredibly valiant under the circumstances, with people all about and the smell of the debris around us. After this portrait we returned to the center of the slum, and walked around a little bit more. The second image is the result of this walk, a picture of a temple for the residents. 

I once again thanked everyone for their time, the tea and understanding… then went back to the foundation's headquarter for the rest of the morning. When I told my good friend about my early morning, he was deeply surprised but just smiled rather than giving me a lecture regarding the danger of it all. He would have done the same he said, if he had the confidence to do so.

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Note: These images were made with a Hasselblad V System, onto Fuji Neopan Acros 100 ISO film.

Man + Shawl, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, Summer of 2014

So here we are driving in the countryside looking for faces to document when I see a man riding a bicycle across the street in front of us. Alejandro was looking in the other direction and missed seeing him. I asked Alejandro in an excited voice to turn to the left into the service station to look for him. As we did so he rode his bicycle to the other side of the street once again into a long driveway. We followed him up the driveway and finally caught up with him.

Alejandro was a little nervous in approaching him, but did so regardless. The man was so serene, peaceful and loving. He immediately allowed us to make his portrait, invited us to visit his family's home the same day to plan a formal visit over the weekend. He was born in India and moved to Cuba at a very young age. He practices Judaism, reads the scriptures and has incorporated aspects from other faiths into his everyday life.

We purchased two loaves of sweet bread from him, one of which we ate immediately, and then drove to his family's home to visit with his wife and children. They agreed like their father to our visit on Sunday and we planned on returning to photograph the rest of the family. The rest of the story is to come!

This image was made in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia regarding this place:

'There are 39 schools in the town, employing over 600 teachers. These schools include an academy of plastic arts, a school for training art teachers, and the International School of Cinema and Television Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión which was established in 1986. The town's library was founded in 1975, and has a collection of more than 32,000 books.'

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Refugee + Store + Camp, Uttar Pradesh, India, November, 2013

This young man from the camp has done what he can do to support his family, and opened the only store in the camp. Like the rest living in this small collection of tents, he has lost his home and some of his community members to the recent bout of violence in Uttar Pradesh. Incredibly the government is nowhere to be seen, with the only good work being accomplished by the local villagers and some good people from Delhi, including the Zakat Foundation of India.

The thoughts regarding these images are quite complicated, being quite aware of my good fortune in relation to the very people living in these camps. My purpose was and is clear, to share these images and the stories that go along with them, hoping to gain assistance for this community. Sharing these images will go a long way to doing so, perhaps reaching those in power to do more.

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Note: This image was made with a hand-held Sony RX100M2, edited for size and contrast a bit.

Young Refugee + Bathroom, Uttar Pradesh, India, November, 2013

Here a young woman walks by the toilet for her village. By most accounts woman are unable to use such a structure even, having to wait for the night to do what most of us take for granted at any time of the day/night. This image was made at a refugee camp located in Uttar Pradesh, hosted by an incredibly generous family. The people in this camp were removed from their villages on the basis of their faith, and in anticipation of the upcoming election season. According to many accounts, dozens were killed and many women were brutalized… such is the environment in which this young woman lives.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2, hand-held and edited for size and contrast only.

Family + Sorting Garbage, Humana People to People India, Gurgaon, India, November, 2013

Then there are the incredible people at Humana People to People India, working for example with people such as the ones in these images, ragpickers living in Gurgaon, India. Presented as an incredibly rich city filled with tech savvy individuals… this city also is home to countless people barely scraping by, collecting and sorting trash just to put food on their children's plates perhaps once per day.

According to Wikipedia:

'As of 2013, about 250 Fortune 500 companies have a base in Gurgaon. It is the most prosperous city in India based on ownership of consumer durables.'

Humana People to People India is working hard in this community, along with Dell and Nokia in presenting schools for basic education as well as computer studies. I am proud to have spent the last six weeks with this foundation and the good people at the various projects.

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www.humana-india.org

Woman + Sex Trade, Kanjar Community, Nirvanavan Foundation, Alwar, Rajasthan, November, 2013

This older woman has lived within the sex trade for her entire life, and is the staunchest supporter of Nirvanavan Foundation and its important work within her village. From the first day of my visit six years ago to this past November, she was there to help with the girls and also to make sure that any objections were silenced.

In her community almost all of the girls are intended for the sex trade, as early as the age of ten. They are sent to brothels in the big cities, to far away lands like the Gulf States and are highly sought after in their own region. The foundation has done great work and continues to do so in the midst of an extremely difficult environment. There is a need as the leader of the foundation likes to tell me now and then.

A need indeed.

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www.nirvanavan.org

Four Students + New School, Humana People to People India, Kedha Village, Rajasthan, India, December 4, 2013

Living in a village in Rajasthan, this young girl now has the opportunity to attend classes offered by Humana People to People India. The proceeds from the benefits held this summer at Artistic Muse Gallery and the Cleveland Print Room have resulted in the opening of seven schools for girls in Haryana and Rajasthan. We thought four schools, Humana People to People India were more than generous and offered more for the funds raised. So now she has a chance to sit next to her sisters and catch up to those already in school.

Like the other girls in this post, she also lives in the same village named Kedha. The majority of villagers are farmers and the days are spent ensuring the health of the crops and sustenance for the children.

She used to attend classes three years ago and has been photographed by me several times over a few years. Her teacher is also her cousin, and she has returned to the school with an eagerness than would make teachers stateside deeply satisfied. She is a little older than the other students but this means very little to her. I am both proud and humbled by her strength, and am quite content with the chances provided me for her portrait this year.

The portrait below was made this past Wednesday, on my last day of photography. As a matter of fact, her portrait was the last of the trip. A higher speed film was used (T-Max 400) as the sun was low, and the images are very much anticipated as her eyes gleamed along with her smile with the setting sun. She inspires me.

These two students also look forward to their first day of class tomorrow. They stand on the roof of their teacher's home, which is actually their classroom now. It is both private and extremely beautiful, with the kitchen at their feet. There is little noise outside of the birds chirping in the trees surrounding the rooftop.

This school closed in 2010 but these students were never forgotten in my work. The good leaders at Humana People to People India listened to my request to reopen the schools in the area and acted on it even though doing so involved a list of complications. The people of the village, rather than having a bitter taste in their collective mouth due to the closing, greeted us with open arms. This reaction was a breath of fresh air for me as well as the foundation, and more than twenty girls were gathered for classes in less than one week. The previous teacher quit her post in the local private school and accepted this position gladly, and has always had my deepest admiration.

I wish them nothing but the best and look forward to seeing the progress made on my next visit.

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Halim Ina Photography