life, photography, and everything else

I know, I’m a dirty stinking liar.  But everybody likes a little extra, right?

Some families send their children to Christian schools at the risk of antagonism by Muslim and Hindu locals.  We heard many stories of violence perpetrated on non-Christian families for sending their children to this academy where the above two photos were taken.  Since these schools were sponsored and staffed by Seminary graduates, they are reputed to provide good education.

One of the teachers who graduated from New Theological Seminary takes a moment to pose for the camera. Many teachers do not show up for class or leave without warning due to lack of regulation and inconsistent pay.  The trained teachers tend to be more involved with their students and also more dependable.

The daughter of the building’s owner waves goodbye.  It was difficult for my partner and I not to pick favorites.  This little girl in the photo bubbled over with sweetness and was incredibly intelligent.  She promptly disappeared in shyness after I took this photo.  It would be the last time I saw her.

Children who were not in school greet us as we enter a remote village.

Students sit and wait for our presentation in the small school yard. During our trip, we visited many Indian schools that were in the network of the New Theological Seminary.  In the “bigger” schools, the children were very responsive but as we headed out to more remote locations, we noticed a remarkable disconnect with the students.  In this photo, I had to vehemently wave my hands and loudly encourage them.  Some languages are universal.  They laughed at my antics and I was grateful for their response.

Children inside the school house eagerly try to catch a glimpse of the team’s presentation. Since the yard wasn’t big enough, the younger students had to stay inside the dimly lit school house which was more of a brick shack.  Their desks were old benches and there was no electricity with very few windows.

While waiting to go home, a student shyly smiles at the camera.

Students at Pathri excited to greet the foreign visitors. Our team had split and upon reuniting, we had a chance to meet some of students.

While taking these photos, I had to constantly remind myself that I won’t be seeing them again.  It was a sobering reminder not to get emotional attached and to stay objective.  The beauty and innocence of these children were sharply juxtaposed by the reality of growing up in their situations.  Most of them are poor and without access to resources that would otherwise be provided for children by law in Western countries.  While I’m encouraged by the recent reforms to the education system in India, there is still a long way to go.