Umesh
Kathmandu, 2002
This photo of Umesh (who told me he also goes by the name Rupock) was taken within 15 meters of this previously posted photo. And with the previous photo, it took some time to find Umesh again—the downside of taking photos at a crossroad.
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My shadow, Ramesh
Dadagaun, Kathmandu 2005
The afternoon sun was low, casting a warm glow. Looking around at the colors it lent the surroundings, I thought I'd take a self-portrait of sorts with my shadow thrown on a wall. While I was fiddling with the focus, Ramesh had followed me down, and walked up in his plaid cholo.
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(Ramesh’s image above is from a rather smallish scan of the photo. I had to enlarge the image a little, which is why it may look a little blurry/pixelly)
Another photo of Ramesh, on a warmer day.
Anu and Jyoti
Kathmandu 2003
I was buying a bag of fresh popcorn from a man's cart when Jyoti (on the right in the photo) said hello. She introduced me to her family and soon I was stopping by almost daily to play games of Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, and Fish.
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Friends
December 2002
From left to right: Ramesh, Sareeta, Joagmaya, Dann (baby), Sabindra (boy), and Sapanah
I remember that I had a tough time finding anyone from this photo again—I must've carried the photo around in my bag for a couple of weeks. Whenever I walked past this area, I would look around.
One day, Ramesh was walking by, saw me, and he asked after the photo. I think I was so used to the layout of the photo, that I half expected him to be sitting in the same spot. I showed him the couple of photos I had and he said (basically) "Yeah, that's me!" and I was like "Oh my gosh, of course it is Ramesh, here you go!".
It was a load off of my mind to find him, as I wanted everyone who I had told I would give a photo to, to actually receive their photo.
The tray in front of Ramesh holds peanuts. The little space-capsule-shaped can is the way to scoop the proper amount into a little home-made paper bag when they are bought. The metal jug by Sabindra’s leg contains pani (water).
If my memory serves me correctly, the sunken place behind the barbed wire was a small pitch used for football (soccer). There may also be a small school building at one end.
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Mother and child
Manamaiju, Kathmandu 2003
I had taken many photos in the area so when I walked past her house this woman recognized me. She motioned me over excitedly and, as I navigated the thin squiggly trail to her house, she brought her baby out from inside.
Her house is just out of frame on the left;
behind me there are terraced fields;
before me, there is the beautiful smile of a very proud mother.
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Sukiyah widening the road
Along the road to Dadagaun, Kathmandu 2005
Outside of a tea shop, a group of five men work with tools of wood and flanged metal; widening this dirt road that branches away from the city. Digging and moving tons of dirt, hacking away at a buried tree stump. The sun presses down, but the road's thin enough that the plants along the side provide for a bit of shade.
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(Sukiyah’s image above was scanned from a 4x6" that I had had printed with a white border. As such, it's not quite a full-frame image; the image is a little tall for it's width, but I was hesitant to crop it any more)
Nisu and Nisan
Kathmandu, 2003
I met these two siblings walking along one of the main roads in Kathmandu. Since they weren’t in front of their house, I asked where they lived so I could come by a few days later with their photo. Nisan pointed off to the distance saying the name of an area. Though I tried repeatedly, this is one of the few photos where I was never able to find the people again.
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Sujal, sitting on the stairs
Dadagaun, Kathmandu, 2005
I was visiting friends when I happened to see Sujal, a child of my friend’s neighbors. Sujal sits on the stairs outside of his family’s apartment. When he can manage to get out of the loving arms of his mother, his aunt, or one of the neighbor girls, he’s starting to walk.
I believe Sujal—just 18 months old—had just had his bath. His mother had then lovingly applied a small tika to Sujal’s forehead and kajal around his eyes.
The stairs behind Sujal lead to the roof, which is unfinished but provides a space to dry laundry in the air, or vegetables in the sun. The stairs themselves also provide a space to lean pots to dry after they have been washed at the nearby communal spigot.
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(Sujal’s image above was scanned from a 4x6" that I had had printed with a white border. As such, it's not quite a full-frame image; the image is a little tall for it's width, but I was hesitant to crop it any more)
In this photo showing the same steps, you can see two pots drying. After they have been scrubbed clean inside and out, a thin coat of mud is applied to the outside. I believe that while the mud still allows for the transfer of heat, it keeps the pots from getting black from the fire of the family stove.
Four friends
Manamaiju, Kathmandu, December 2002
Suman, 12, Gogarnoh, 14, Saraj, 12, and Aomahryti, 14.
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Srijana
Balaju Chowk, Kathmandu, December 14th, 2002
Srijana, 10, in front of her family’s restaurant.
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