Future for a Fisher Folk?

15 year-old Karthick

 Karthick sits in front of me, a shy fifteen-year-old whose dark, bright eyes are fixed on the floor. Karthick came to see me so that you, dear Reader, can have a glimpse into his past and maybe even become a part of his future. You see, Karthick longs to do something important with his life, and he knows that having an education can open up a whole new world for him. He came to Chennai to study a House Electrician Course that is offered by IID Community Colleges. He has already made a few friends in the college and loves being there among so many other young people. However, there is a problem.

Karthick, with a friend from the Community College

Karthick hails from a small village near Tada, Andhra Pradesh, and he and his family belong to a community of fisher folk. This small village is situated in the bay area of the Pulicat Lake, and it is a very poor community. Basic medical facilities are not available, and to go to a hospital, the people in this community need to travel at least an hour by boat. Karthick himself traveled one and a half hours by boat each way to attend school. During the monsoon season, the whole community needs to be housed in government run facilities as the area in which they live is usually completely flooded.

Both his parents fish for a living in the rivers close to where they live. Sometimes they leave for months at a time, leaving Karthick and his three older sisters to take care of themselves while his mother and father earn money for the family. Whenever they catch enough fish to save a decent amount of money, they return home again. Sometimes they return home exhausted and drained after being away from home for weeks at a time, but with only just enough money to get by. Karthick and his family have had to go without food for many meals, as they just didn’t have enough money. In spite of the unpredictable situation at home, the long distance to and from school, the displacement of their community every monsoon and the poverty-stricken situation of his parents, Karthick was able to study and complete his Tenth Standard in a government-run school. However, if Karthick were to depend on his parents for his education, the future looks very bleak for him.

Both his parents fish for living and are sometimes gone for months at a time, leaving Karthik and his three sisters to take care of themselves.

 

So here he was, a young man ready to do something with his future but not able to study because his family cannot afford to send him to College. When I ask him why he wants to join IID Community College, Karthick says that because he is the only male child in his family, he wants to be able to study and get a job where he will earn well and take care of his family, and in the future, he wants to be able to help others who are in similar situations as him. When we first started talking, Karthick’s eyes hardly left the floor, but as we continued talking about what he wanted to do with his life, even though he was still shy, his eyes were filled with longing and hope, knowing that studying in IID could change his future.

So now, dear Reader, you know a little bit about Karthick. However, more importantly, if you do feel like you want to help change the course of his future, then please do get in touch with us at IID Community Colleges.  A little support can achieve much.  

There are many other young men and women like Karthick who would appreciate your support. Do get in touch with IIDA (email address below)for further details. 

•  Help us raise his 1 year course cost: 12 x INR 3,500 (EUR 50/CHF 60/USD 63)
• Help with any one time donation
• Email us: support@iida-india.org
• If you wish you can correspond directly with Karthick through above Email ID;
• Our staff will print and forward your message and send his reply.

     Thank you very much on behalf of Karthick and his family!

The Stephens :)

It's been a while since my last family portrait. I'm happy to be posting pictures of another beautiful family :) I know Rabin and Shireen though our church, Powerhouse, and they wanted to get a family photo done as they hadn't had one done after Annika was born.

Here is a family photo of them in their living room:

Revathi

It's been a while now since my last post, but I've had a lot of editing work to do :) I've been really wanting to do a 'themed' photo shoot, with some props, etc, and I really wasn't sure how or when or what it would be. I'm so grateful for my friend Revathi, who was such a beautiful model and so willing to work with me :)

When I knew that I was going to be doing a photo session with Revathi, I thought it would be so lovely to do a 'vintage' themed shoot. Revathi is one of those people who thinks they actually belong in another time :), and so she seemed perfect for the vintage idea. 

I shall also make use of this opportunity to just say that I am so blessed to have a friend like Revathi in my life. She is a good friend, and has been a big source of encouragement to me. I admire the way she is so confident about who she is, and how she is very sure about what she knows and believes in - be it the way a person addresses a woman, or  how one should prepare a certain dish ;)

 I brought a few things from home for the shoot, and wasn't really sure how we were going to do this, but then I walked into the bedroom and saw Revathi and Sean's beautiful vintage table and it was just perfect! She also had a lovely crockery set which would set the mood nicely. Revathi was also a big help in giving me some of her ideas as to what she could wear... the thought of her wearing a Sari had never crossed my mind, but when she mentioned it, I thought it would add a nice touch!

Here are a few pictures. Hope you enjoy them :)

Priyanka

Here's a post that I've been wanting to put up for a while now, and  I'm so excited about these pictures! A little over a month ago, we were invited to an Arangetram of our friend's daughter. It was the first time that I had been to one and we were quite excited to go. I thought I would take my camera 'just in case', and I'm so glad that I did! I asked Vasanthi, Priyanka's mother, whether it was okay for me to take some pictures, and she said it was no problem.  I had taken my 50 mm lens, because I knew that I would be able to get some sharp, clear images even in low light, but I needn't have worried, because the stage lights were very nice! I wasn't sure whether I could sit up front, but there were a few empty seats in the front row, so I went and sat down and took my pictures from there.

From the beginning to the end, I was so amazed at Priyanka's talent and stamina! As I watched, the grace of her dances, the expressions on her face, the intricate footwork, the story-telling through her dances - they all captivated me, and I was so happy to have my camera there and be able to capture a few moments from that evening. It was a 2-hour dance recital, and we all really enjoyed the evening.  I hope you enjoy these pictures!

Musician in the Making?

So, as I focus on people in my world and in my life and in my city, there is one little person who is so special to me :) My son, Matthias, came into our lives a little over two years ago, and completely turned our world upside down! Many people say that marriage is a huge change in your life, etc, and yes, it is, but having a baby ...well, thats a whole different ball game!

Being a mother (a mother - I still can't believe it sometimes!), has changed me so much. I think at heart, we are pretty selfish, and having a baby changes all that. You learn to put your little one's needs ahead of your own. When Matt was still a few weeks old, I swear I felt a physical tug in my body every time he cried. It was like there was almost a physical bond between us... it was such an amazing feeling - well, and a little tiring, because I kept jumping up in the night every time I heard him cry! :)  The first three months were some of the most difficult times in my life, but somehow, God's grace helped us through it.

And today, I am going to post a few pictures of Matt. I have titled this post 'Musician in the Making?' because ever since he was little, Matt has loved music. At first whenever we went to church he would run to the stage and want to play with the guitar - we had to literally hold him back, many times. His love for the guitar turned into a love for the drums, and even now, Matt loves to take out his drumsticks and drum away on anything he can find at home. I've had to hide the snare drum(!) my father-in-law bought for Matt, because he would've driven the neighbours (and us) up the wall. 

Anyways, here are a few pictures of Matt that I took while experimenting with some flash photography. I'm still learning a lot, and I still have so much to learn, but I would appreciate your comments and feedback on these pictures :) I wish I had taken the time to iron out the green cloth behind him - but I was too much in a hurry to check out the flash, and I thought I would leave it as it is, SOOC (Straight Out Of the Camera) and see what you guys think of it.

p.s. today my facebook page completes 6 months! Have a look at the page and take a moment to 'like' the page if you like my work! Thanks a lot!

 I love the effect on this last picture - it was taken at a slower shutter speed and this is Matt in motion! :)

The stories of our lives

I was thinking yesterday about how all our lives are made up of stories. Sad stories, fun stories, embarrassing stories and happy stories. We all have them... and those stories are what makes us who we are. I can think of so many hundreds, or maybe even thousands of stories that make up my life. And I think photographers have also started this trend of shooting in 'bursts'. What that means is, you take a series of photos continuously to catch a short story rather than a moment.


For example: