Ritu
Ritu
Betrawati, November 2002
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Deepaki
Deepaki
Betrawati, November 2002
Along the main road, by a porch with fresh straw;
with dust at her feet and the sun angling in,
Deepaki stands.
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Four friends
Four friends
Manamaiju, Kathmandu, December 2002
Suman, 12, Gogarnoh, 14, Saraj, 12, and Aomahryti, 14.
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Srijana
Srijana
Balaju Chowk, Kathmandu, December 14th, 2002
Srijana, 10, in front of her family’s restaurant.
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Bahini descending a ladder
Bahini descending a ladder
Tupche, 2000
While walking through Tupche, I happened to see this young girl as she was about to step down a ladder.
From the location of her families' house, the view from that second-story upper window must’ve looked out upon the steep verdant hill that lines Tupche’s west border.
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Sabin
Sabin
Betrawati, 2002
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Susana helps her mother move some straw
Susana helps her mother move some straw
Betrawati, November 2002
On the way back from the foot-bridge to Tupche, I saw little Susana helping move some straw. Her mother, in red, is bent over grabbing a bit more. I didn't know Susana well, so she was a bit shy when I took her photo.
The load that Susana is carrying is light—it is, after all, dried straw—but I have seen adults carry heavy loads such as a wooden desk with nothing more than the woven strap that goes around the item and then one’s head.
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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.
Suzan and Montosh
Suzan and Montosh
Betrawati, November 2002
Two friends.
Along the long dusty road that connects the Langtang valley to Kathmandu.
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Kalpana and Sabina
Kalpana and Sabina
Betrawati, November 2002
Two friends take a break by a haystack.
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