Migrant + Shawl, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, 2016

Last year we were able to visit a few slums in Gurgaon, and to witness the extreme contrasts of the city often times described as 'Millennium City.' Home to 250 Fortune 500 companies, it is also home to countless slums in which live migrants from all over India.

Whenever a high rise goes up, an entire neighborhood is created as its construction workers, its security guards and its housemaids. As we ran across a building under construction, we would drive a bit closer and almost always see such a scene. The families often times lived in single rooms with metal roofs, temperatures rising well over the surroundings at anytime.

In such a neighborhood this girl lives, and we made the effort to locate her and her friends this past summer. Last year we photographed them with the guidance of the foundation. Their faces were etched in my mind.

This time around we were forced to take it upon ourselves to find them, and did so thanks to the help of one volunteer who took the time to do so in spite of the lack of support from above. While he recognized the slum thanks to my description from last year, it was one in which he had never worked.

The three of us walked into the slum without our cameras at first, looking for those faces. As soon as we had a following, we showed one face to them... and all recognized her. They walked us over to her tent, and there she was... as magnificent as she was the previous year... and then some!

Seeing that we knew the children, the community relaxed a bit and helped us gather the children for an afternoon of photography. We found a beautiful wall at the end of the alley, and made a plan between us as to how we were to proceed. We talked about photographing the boys first, allowing us to photograph the girls more peacefully.

From my experience, enlisting the help of one or two young men had always helped... and so we did so here as well. While I was worried that some of the girls would walk away in all of the confusion, they remained steadfast and presented themselves with such power and dignity when their time came.

Such was the case with this young girl. There were perhaps over sixty people gathered, yet she concentrated on the lens in front of her only. The light was magnificent, striking gently her eyes and allowing her to look straight ahead without strain.

Her features are as refined as any strolling the fashion strips of the world, while the honesty of her expression is unmatched. For her this work continues, and my hope is that the school in her community continues to operate indefinitely. Next year we will look for her and her sisters again, and hope that life is a little less cruel as well.

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Note: This portrait was made using a Sony RX100M3.

Migrant + Slum, Humana People to People India, Gurgaon, India, March of 2015

Today we spent the morning with the Humana People to People India team in the Amar Colony of Gurgaon, India. The team was incredibly dedicated, met me in front of the slum as the sun appeared over the horizon, then walked with me through a field of garbage as far as the eye can see until we arrived to the center of the slum. The families were more than receptive, offered a bench for our tools and organized the girls first for the morning of photography.

Humana People to People India is running a Step Up Center in this colony for its children, and after the images were made I witnessed first-hand the children in their classes. A local has offered the space without charge, and it also happens to be a temple with the kindest of holy men present. As the children recited their lessons, his facial expressions were worthy of his status in the society.

She was one of the last to be photographed, as we put our gear away to move onto the temple. She was magnificent, truly powerful in her presentation. I look forward to seeing her images later, and to presenting her story to the corporation in charge of the funding to continue this incredible work.

www.halimina.com

Advaita + Student, Khar Bas Slum, Alwar, Rajasthan, India, Over the Last Three Months

While my experience with these young girls is firsthand, sometimes those viewing them have very little to go on other than the expressions, the surroundings. In this case, we have a story to go along with them. In my dear friend's words:

'Halim Ina had brought with him Friendship Bands made by a little girl in America for the girls of Bodhivriksha schools. A few bands were tied to girls at the Khar Bas slum by Advaita Roy Verma. Today Advaita took her time from school to visit the Dhobhi ghatta school to tie the bands. Advaita will be visiting the Bodhivriksha schools from time to time to tie the band that were sent with so much love and care.'

I take very little credit for this act other than carrying the bracelets with me, but accept Nirvana's kind words with humility. The  black and white image was made three months ago during my time in Rajasthan, and the color image was just made this week, both of the same girl!

www.halimina.org

Girl + Student, Nirvanavan Foundation, Slum, Alwar, Rajasthan, November, 2013

While in Rajasthan I was fortunate enough to once again visit the good works of Nirvanavan Foundation through my dear friend, Nirvana Bodhisattva. We began with a school located in one of the many slums of Alwar, a school visited four years ago as well.

The classroom has since been moved to a beautifully decorated building, and now classes are being held indoor as well as outside next to the small temple. Two teachers are responsible for this small school, and their enthusiasm is consistent with the team on a whole, a testament to the leadership as well as to the volunteers working daily to improve the lives of their comrades.

I remember this little girl from many years ago, as she sat for her portrait on the ledge of that first school. She was so tiny then, but her eyes have always had this incredible presence in front of the lens. This morning we sat down for some informal portraits in the classroom, with light coming into the room from a window to her left. She was barely able to hide her excitement, her happiness. This is what drives the work, this is the purpose behind the images.

www.halimina.org
www.nirvanavan.org.uk