Sidewalk Education

When someone says: “I couldn’t study… it just wasn’t the right setting.” ~ Education on the street.

As a person with agency I felt I would be imposing on her personal space by taking the photograph above. As a mom I felt protective of the child, so I moved quickly as she was still facing her workbook. As a photographer I knew I had to take this picture. In the hustle and bustle of a major city like Ahmedabad, on a city street that is this family’s home (at least for the day), this child was being a child….learning from a book like her school-attending peers. I know this child will learn much, through this life she and her mom and baby sibling (under the blanket) are living, but I think there is an innocence in that book, that gave me some hope for her… that maybe they will find a way to not live on the street anymore, and not have to worry about their imminent safety from lack of having a home. Sometimes homes aren’t safe either, but one can hope.

There is so much to say about India, but I think this photograph deserves a post of its own. Stay a while and hang out with us a bit more through these posts.