Seb@stian
Girl carrying a jar of water on her head, Ranakpur, Rajasthan, India.
Girl carrying a jar of water on her head, Ranakpur, Rajasthan, India.
I had noticed that strange procession on the half-muddy half-sandy parking stand of my hotel, located in the middle of the Indian countryside : women were going back and forth with water jars between a water tap and their "village", a mere collection of poorly-assembled huts a few meters away from the road, a small place hidden by some trees and littered with junk.
A little girl, in ragged clothes, was methodically, quietly and sadly doing the same water transportation job, helping her mother and carrying around 10 liters of water on her head. I smiled to the child as she was going back to her home, uttered a welcoming "hello" ; she paused, as if I were a strange white animal, not saying a word, unlike most of the Indians I met elsewhere, always curious to know where you come from and taking a picture of you.
I pointed at the camera, waiting for a sign from her, took a picture, then asked "and now with a smile !" while smiling broadly to show her what I meant. She started smiling, still carrying her jar of water, and I took another picture, the one you can see here. I just had the time to thank her, a bit uneasy and shy in front of this poor silent child with big dark and innocent eyes, a child who probably was not attending school and already getting chores done. A second later, her mother started yelling at her, urging her to hurry back to the hamlet.
Girl carrying a jar of water on her head, Ranakpur, Rajasthan, India.
Girl carrying a jar of water on her head, Ranakpur, Rajasthan, India.
I had noticed that strange procession on the half-muddy half-sandy parking stand of my hotel, located in the middle of the Indian countryside : women were going back and forth with water jars between a water tap and their "village", a mere collection of poorly-assembled huts a few meters away from the road, a small place hidden by some trees and littered with junk.
A little girl, in ragged clothes, was methodically, quietly and sadly doing the same water transportation job, helping her mother and carrying around 10 liters of water on her head. I smiled to the child as she was going back to her home, uttered a welcoming "hello" ; she paused, as if I were a strange white animal, not saying a word, unlike most of the Indians I met elsewhere, always curious to know where you come from and taking a picture of you.
I pointed at the camera, waiting for a sign from her, took a picture, then asked "and now with a smile !" while smiling broadly to show her what I meant. She started smiling, still carrying her jar of water, and I took another picture, the one you can see here. I just had the time to thank her, a bit uneasy and shy in front of this poor silent child with big dark and innocent eyes, a child who probably was not attending school and already getting chores done. A second later, her mother started yelling at her, urging her to hurry back to the hamlet.