Amima Sayeed
Laughter is innate, Maslow can take a hike!
My blood boils when people quote Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" as the fundamental basis of prosperity and harmony. Hate it! Maslow was a sorry figure who never stepped out and bothered to interact with common people OR see them hard at work. His followers are no different. Exactly how they make hundreds of thousands of poor people perfectly able to laugh, sing a song, be merry, "invisible" is beyond me.
I met this family during my field visit to Thar, Sindh. They work as labour on farmland owned by Jarwars. The wage rates are abhorrent & in direct violation of all labour laws - Rs. 15 for every 40kilos of crop they cut, clean and sort. A family of 10-12 people is able to earn Rs. 200 i.e. for about 533kilos.
I am not trying to romanticise abject poverty nor condone the exploitation - my point is simple - they are not living their lives by hierarchy of needs, they make do with little things. In this case, they are all smiles simply because we stopped by to chat & photograph them if they permitted. One of the women asked me if they will get the print - I promised her to send it, took the address and phone number.
They posed and laughed.
ODC: Essential
Laughter is innate, Maslow can take a hike!
My blood boils when people quote Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" as the fundamental basis of prosperity and harmony. Hate it! Maslow was a sorry figure who never stepped out and bothered to interact with common people OR see them hard at work. His followers are no different. Exactly how they make hundreds of thousands of poor people perfectly able to laugh, sing a song, be merry, "invisible" is beyond me.
I met this family during my field visit to Thar, Sindh. They work as labour on farmland owned by Jarwars. The wage rates are abhorrent & in direct violation of all labour laws - Rs. 15 for every 40kilos of crop they cut, clean and sort. A family of 10-12 people is able to earn Rs. 200 i.e. for about 533kilos.
I am not trying to romanticise abject poverty nor condone the exploitation - my point is simple - they are not living their lives by hierarchy of needs, they make do with little things. In this case, they are all smiles simply because we stopped by to chat & photograph them if they permitted. One of the women asked me if they will get the print - I promised her to send it, took the address and phone number.
They posed and laughed.
ODC: Essential