Sabita
Between Manamaiju and Shrijana Nagar, Kathmandu, January 2003
Eight-year-old Sabita—in the community that I spoke of in Friday’s post.
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Sankar
Between Manamaiju and Shrijana Nagar, Kathmandu, January 2003
Twelve-year-old Sankar—in the community that I spoke of in Friday’s post.
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Sanu, Bemala, and Prakash
Between Manamaiju and Shrijana Nagar, Kathmandu, January 2003
Three siblings—Sanu, 13, Bemala, 10, and Prakash, 5—in the community that I spoke of in yesterday's post.
(Prakash could be seen in yesterday's photo, just to the left of his friend Sarod.)
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Prakash, Sarod and Sudib
Between Manamaiju and Shrijana Nagar, Kathmandu, January 2003
One day I followed a wide dirt path, passing tall bluffs of sand that were slowly being scraped into trucks by construction crews wanting sand. I passed a large tractor on my right, parked outside of a low building roughly the size of a bus. The path got thinner then, and a bit bumpier as it snaked along. The steep bluffs on my left turned into more gradual hills.
Finally the path ended, and I found myself at the entrance of a small community—perhaps sixteen houses total. Children of varying ages came out to say hello to me.
I took photos of each child that I met there, and returned a couple of days later with copies for their families.
This photo of Sarod (with his friends Prakash and Subib next to him) was one of the first that I took. Looking at the photos now, I can see how bright the winter sun was that day.
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Susila, Sabatri, and Sujana
Manamaiju, Kathmandu, 2002
I love walking through Manamaiju. The regal old buildings, here a busy courtyard off the main thoroughfare, there a small colorful door contained in a nook.
Before walking through, there's one last right-turn you can take that leads you past a few houses and a small shop. Further on and you reach the fields that lay atop the bluffs that separate the area from the valley close below.
It is among this widely-spaced bluff-top clutch of houses that I took a good many photos, one of which is this one of three friends.
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Bhai (younger brother)
Balaju, Kathmandu, 2002
Kiran and Jyoti’s uncle Arjun worked one floor down, in a small office that offered driving instruction. It was there that I’d sometimes drink tea with Arjun and his officemate—the tea was delivered by this young man.
The shop where he worked served three kinds of tea—milk tea, lemon, and black—all in small, piping hot glasses.
To allow him to carry multiple glasses, up and down stairs, or across a busy highway, he had a small circular carrier made from wire. He’d bring the tea and then return at a later time to pick up the empty glasses.
I would sometimes get lemon tea directly from his shop, so on this day I asked him if he’d like his photo taken. The tea shop where he works is unseen in the background—the man in the background who can be seen sitting is right in front of it.
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The three variants of tea served, all quite sweet.
Several blue Tata-brand trucks are parked in the background. Out of frame on the right is a small corner pharmacy, next to which is a large wall that is always covered by large wheat-pasted posters of the latest Bollywood and Kollywood movies that are playing in town.
Four friends on their day off
Manamaiju, Kathmandu, January 7th, 2003
On my way back from Manamaiju, I met these four students who were enjoying their day off.
They are, from left-to-right, Kamala, Sumitra, Roshni and Rojina—all from Shree Ganesh Himal Boarding School.
I wrote down the name of their school, and after a bit of looking a few days later, I finally found it and was able to give them their photo.
Now they are all 25 and 26, and I'm sure they are doing great things.
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A visit from a friend
Balaju, Kathmandu, 2005
In 2005 there was more open space in Balaju.
This house was on the edge of a small cluster of two- or three-story buildings. There was some garden area in from of it, and a small corner store a few meters away where one could pick up simple staples and the latest news.
A bit further out—depending on the time of year—you could look across a wide field of yellow mustard, see students cutting across fallow fields on their way home, or see children playing a spirited game of either football or cricket.
I happened to be walking home one afternoon when one friend was visiting another. This photo is the result.
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Sunita and a friend fetching water
Futung, Kathmandu, June 2011
While fetching water for home, Sunita (in red) and a friend take a brief rest.
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Laughter in the afternoon sun
Dadagaun, Kathmandu, 2011
My friend Sunita’s neighbors. Standing in the courtyard where Sunita married in 2006, beneath lines festooned with colorful flags. Those stairs in the background? There’s another set when you get to the top—it's where I took this photo of two friends.
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