Kiran and Arati
Balaju, Kathmandu, 2004
On a cool winters day, I was coming out of my friends building and caught friends Kiran and Arati in the sunlight just outside.
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Quartet in a doorway
Balaju Bypass, Kathmandu, 2002
To enter my friends apartment building, one goes through a long dark tunnel. On this wintery day, these four children were just inside the doorway, watching the world outside. One of them is eating chow-chow [ramen] straight from the bag—a popular snack.
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Srijana
Balaju Chowk, Kathmandu, December 14th, 2002
Srijana, 10, in front of her family’s restaurant.
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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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Proud boy holding Spider-Man
Kathmandu, early 2003
Sometimes in Nepal when a house or building is built, the roof is left un-finished or half-done; columns and re-bar, but little else, in case more storeys want to get added later. These mostly-flat roofs make a great place to put up a clothesline, spread out and dry vegetables in the sun, or keep potted plants.
It was the tail end of winter—probably early February—when I took this photo. The air was still cool enough for extra clothes, but the winter sun brought a gentle warmth if you caught it directly. This proud boy was on the roof of his family's building, enjoying the sun with his mother and his new Spider-Man toy.
Behind him, you can see the fallow fields that later will be awash in the yellow flower of mustard plants. In the far distance, above the dark green hills surrounding the Kathmandu valley, you can catch a glimpse of some of the Himalayas.
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Update: Above is a field of mustard in bloom in Balaju.
Below is a photo taken on the same roof on a different day.
I'm unsure if that is a neighbor or a sibling