Student, Kalyanpur, Kanpur India, September 15th 2009
She boldly came out of her classroom a few doors down and stood there, poised and waiting, for me to take her photograph. My, how the Indian girlchild has discovered her inner mischief. It was these little bits of data that give me hope for the future of India. Her women are just plain fed-up with the oppressive patriarchy of millenia - Indian men average as the most bigoted in the world.
Women reporters in the midtwenties run around Kanpur like its all okay now, in slums and bastis they are comfortable in their jeans and tshirt, waiti ng for whatever to happen to happen. India has learnt to tip her media off at the slightest hint of injustice or systemic abuse of the voiceless. Aaj ki awaaz is the national television media channels, whom, at first glance I found very crude and shameless but now realize that they speak to the needs of the common man. He feels heard and protected in today's India thanks to the privately owned media channels tentacling the country.
Leather artisan making braid from scrap, Kanpur, September 14th 2009
Muslim women pay for their daughter's education by painstakingly hard work - getting paid Rupees 2 per metre of braid woven. I tell you, that's sheer exploitation. Now in addition to that, these ten ladies are getting paid Rs 50 a day during training that hopes to prepare them to service customers directly abroad with orders for purses etc in ttheir own right. Yes, they're looking for work, just email me your request for an introduction.
A neighbourhood paanwallah was interviewed, and he said something about the future of India, the next decade or so that struck me forcibly. He said, wait, just wait and see, in ten years all the women would have woken up, then, we'll see where India can go, they've already stepped on the moon, na?
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