Pants hung up to dry
Pants hung up to dry
Tupche, 2000
Four friends
Four friends
Manamaiju, Kathmandu, October 28th, 2015
Siblings Sachem and Subashna (in the blue and yellow) with their friends. In the sideyard entryway of their apartment building.
One of the first times I met Sachem and Subashna, they motioned me to bend down like they wanted to tell me a secret. I leaned down and canted my head to hear better, and they kissed my cheeks.
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Sisti
Sisti
Betrawati, 2000 or 2002
Sitting on a bag of rice on top of a full TATA bus, I passed a building where Sisti bahini was looking out the second-story doorway.
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Sisti with her brother and mother.
I believe that Sisti’s family runs a fabric shop in town, just south of the bridge.
2000
Prabin
Prabin
Betrawati, November 2002
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Ritu
Ritu
Betrawati, November 2002
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Students play
Students playing
Uttargaya Secondary English Board School, Betrawati, autumn of 2000
A few of my students play a dancing game of their own creation.
The game is played by standing in a circle, with each child putting one foot out behind them, and resting it behind the knee of the child next to them.
(Serika, the tallest in the photo, described it as "making a web just by putting in one leg")
They then would then sing a song and clap along, hopping and turning-as-a-group on their remaining feet.
I just messaged Serika to see if the game had a name, but she said it didn't—so I think we’re going to call it “The Serika”.
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Now fifteen years later, Serika is a talented photographer and sent me some portraits that she has taken recently.
I have included them below:
(images copyright Serika Thapa)
Baklu, Serika’s nephew
"His real name is Subhan but everyone calls him Baklu."
Anubhav and a friend
"That guy with guitar is my brother Anubhav."
Sapana
Serika’s friend Sapana playing a card game called Judh Patti during the festival season.
Sapana’s name means dream in Nepali.
Santoshi, Rabin and Mira
Santoshi, Rabin and Mira
Manamaiju, Kathmandu, Friday, January 17th, 2003
Walking home one day through Manamaiju, I noticed of a house a bit off of the path, but partially-hidden behind a tall hedge of foliage. I investigated by taking a few steps off of the main path. There I met Mira, 9, her little brother Rabin, 8, and their friend Santoshi, 14.
You can tell that it’s January and the cold is still hiding in the air;
Santoshi wearing her winter coat over her kurta,
Mira with the flaps of her warm cholo over-shirt tied tight.
I love Rabin’s easy pose in this photo; he’s all business.
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