rukaiya (L) and shabna (R) are two acid attack survivors working at sheroes cafe in agra. rukaiya was attacked by her sisters brother in law at age 14 and shabna was assaulted by acid after turning down an unwanted advance from her boss.
two lovely ladies who will give you the sweetest of smiles if you visit their cafe in agra. god bless them both.
two icons of india…..the taj mahal and cricket
Agra
a large camp with around 150 people living in tents. no running water or water pump. a much poorer camp than the ones seen in rural rajasthan. the people have moved from one or two villages around 100 kilometres south of agra looking for work,
labour camp agra
photograph taken on the main agra to fatehpur sikri road
this is a shrine for lower caste hindus, agra city
more than 100 ladies live here in very basic conditions……… a bare room with a bed. the ladies are all devotees of lord krishna.
the ashram depends on donations for upkeep and feeding the devotees,
the ladies have left their families behind to follow lord krishna.
some are still in touch but most are not.
63 year old krishna devotee originally from bengal. she has been in vrindavan for 11 years. she is still in touch with her family.
the sadhu left his family around 20 years ago to follow his beliefs,
he occasionally sees his family
he depends on charity from the towns residents to survive.
76 year old widow from calcutta. her husband died and the family wouldnt support her. she has been in vrindavan for 30 years.
the widows live at the matri ghar ashram and depend upon donations to survive.
photographed in a labour camp opposite the red fort , agra
76 year old widow from calcutta. Her husband died at an early age and because of lack of support she made her way to vrindavan. she has been here for 40 years.
the washermen of india. they are born into the job, will live it and die in it. In vrindavan the local authorities have banned washing the clothes in the river hence the construction of large concrete baths to wash the clothes. after the job is finished the water is drained off…………… into the river.
the washer man is photographed outside his house.
the dhobi wallahs will visit their customers to pick up the dirty items………… shops, mid size hotels, garment dealers, caterers and individual households. lots of businesses and households still use the dhobi wallahs.
prices are charged per piece and range from 3 to 5 rupee depending upon size
in vrindavan washing clothes is a family affair. its tough work so the men who can ,handle the washing whilst the ladies handle the drying , ironing and folding of the clothes. the clothes are hung on washing lines that go on for a very long way. no pegs etc are used. the rope is folded over each piece being hung so that it doesnt drop.
in some places this operation is purely done by men ( lucknow for example).
common sight across india.
photograph taken on the outskirts of agra city