Alone

I often see women sitting alone, just staring off into the distance, and I wonder what they are doing, and what they are thinking? Are they waiting for something? For someone? Are they thinking deep thoughts, or simply sitting there with minds blank? It seems to be a western idea that we need entertainment at all times. We have games on our phones, movies on our ipods, a book or a newspaper if nothing else. Something to distract our minds from the fact that we are alone and waiting.

Why are we afraid of being alone with our thoughts? Of having a chance to clear our heads? No talking, nothing to listen to, nothing to read. Not even a piece of paper and a pen to capture the thoughts that we have. Just silence.

How much more would we notice if we allowed ourselves to do such things? The smells of the flowers around us, the song of the birds. For me it is sometimes just hearing the sounds of Hindi and Tamil around me. Melodious sounds despite the fact I mostly do not know what they mean.

I find myself in a fine state if I end up having a wait that I have not planned for. If I think I will only be a few minutes, and it winds up being an hour, I’m not entirely sure what to do. I am very good at amusing myself, but I do that by reading or writing while I am waiting.

I used to look at people who could sit there contentedly, staring off into space, and think that perhaps they were lacking in mental faculties. But perhaps they are able to simply enjoy life without distractions. It’s something that most of us could probably use a huge dose of.

The Contents of a Little Girl’s Purse

What is it that you would find if you were to look through a little girl’s purse? Odds and ends, knick knacks that no one wanted, bits that were set to the side, unneeded and unnoticed until she came upon them. Many would call it rubbish; a veritable crow’s nest of the things that no one else wants.

 But what is it all to her? Every piece in that purse is a treasure. If you bother to sit and listen, you can hear why each things she has picked up is special to her. Yes, maybe the story will change each time, but she will take great joy in telling you all about it.
When we grow up, our purses are full of the things we “need”. This of course changes with each person’s opinion of what they need. One woman may have a purse full of make-up, a mirror, a pack of mints, the things she needs for keeping up her appearances. Another may have a book, a notebook, and a pen. Something to keep her busy if she grows bored. Who knows what one will have. But a little girl’s purse has no “theme” to it. It is a jumble of all of the things she holds dear. An echo of a heart and a mind that have not found their place in the world yet. An individual not worried about what others will think of her.

Would that we all could keep such openness in our lives. Not necessarily to the point where we collect things like magpies. But to the point where we have in our lives the things which we fancy, rather than the things we are supposed to fancy. 

Safe

This little cutie was my assistant at a jewelry training that I did at a shelter home in Bangalore. She picked up all the beads that were scattered on the floor, and got supplies and tools for anyone who needed them. She also tried to run off with half of the beads until I gave her a string of beads that she could play with while everyone else was learning to make jewelry. She started out very shy, but by the end of the two week I spend there, she became quite the little ham when the camera was out.

This home was a home for girls who had been trafficked, or who were at risk of being trafficked. Her Mom was living there. No one quite knew the Mom's story, whether she had been trafficked, or was just at risk. As far as I could find out, no one really knew the situation of her and her daughter at all. Did the Father die? Abandon them? Who knows.
In this home where they were staying, living conditions were not ideal. The girls pretty well stay in the house unless they're going out for school. It's the same routine every day, and I know I would get bored stiff. Many of the girls sleep on mats spread on the floor rather than in beds.
But they are safe. They are not in the circumstances that would cause them to be trafficked. They are in a place where they can learn and improve their lives, and one day, leave there with the skills and knowledge to get by in the world. Perhaps one day this little girl will have opportunities in life that her Mother never had, and it is because right now, she is safe.

Photos by Laura Webster-Bangalore, June 2013

Too Young

A nineteen year old girl, still just a child herself, too young to go through what she has experienced. A baby born with handicaps, a husband who has abandoned them. Quite likely because of their handicapped daughter.
But the look of love and joy on her face as she watched her daughter do horse therapy was beautiful. It looked as though her troubles were lifted for a time. Mother and baby both glowed.

Then she disappeared. She gave up on the opportunity of an education which would help her better her life. She gave up on therapy and a future education for her daughter. She left the people who most wanted to help her, and give her a chance at a brighter future.
Where is she now? We don’t know. Perhaps with family. I hope she’s with someone who cares. I really hope for something great for her little daughter. That she would get therapy somewhere else, and not just be one of these hidden children who remains shut away her whole life.

Photos by Pradeep Rajendran and Morgan Malstead. Ooty, summer 2013

Laughter

These aren’t my photos. Just thought I’d throw that out there. Though I would guess you could figure that out. I was not aware that these pictures had been taken until I was looking through a friend’s pictures.
These were taken just before we left for camp with a group of girls who are survivors of human trafficking. These two, Raji and Joythi, were working in our jewelry workshop in Ooty, so I knew them already. But the camp atmosphere always makes people, even if they live mere minutes away from each other, get loads of pictures together.
This time, we were trying to get Raji to smile, and she was doing her best to not smile. I love these photos. We all look goofy in at least one or two, but there is such true joy in every face. Even Raji, with all that she was trying to not smile.

Those girls are so beautiful, and I saw it even more during that week at camp. They were so happy, having the new experiences. Running around outside, swimming, climbing rocks, hiking. And the happier they were, the more beautiful they were.
These pictures make me smile. Such memories, and so much beauty in those joyous smiles.

Photos by Pradeep Rajendran. Ooty, April 2013

Cow Lady

I saw her in Bangalore as I was wandering around on my own. This lady with her cows and her dog. Something about her struck me, and I started taking pictures of her. I tried to be discreet. I did not want to be a stupid tourist, gawking at the locals. But there was something about her bearing, her attitude, her manner, that I wanted to capture.

After some time, she noticed me sitting there by the road, and came over to join me. We attempted to talk to each other, but couldn’t really manage much. She seemed to get a lot of joy out of showing off her dog, having him shake hands with me, and hearing me say that he was a beautiful dog. She genuinely loved that dog.

Though it doesn’t look like she was terribly happy about having her photo taken, she actually asked for it to be taken. This is typical of Indian women, especially older women, to look very serious and stern in photos. My favourite picture of her though, is the one of her playing with her dog. Such a relaxed, happy picture. It seems more real to me than the serious, posed photo.

Photos by Laura Webster. Bangalore, June 2013

On the Brink

This picture makes me wonder. It was taken near the Bandra slum in Mumbai in 2012. This girl; where is she now? I would guess her to be young, on the brink between being a girl and being a woman. A hard enough age to be in any case, but how much harder in a slum, an area where they say women definitely shouldn’t be alone at night. Did she have someone to protect her? Was someone there for her? What does the future have in store for her? Does she even have a future? Maybe not. I don’t know if she is even still alive. I don’t know anything about this girl, and it makes me wonder.

Photo by Laura Webster. Mumbai, February 2012