The Photographers 

On Sunday I spent the day interviewing the teenagers for a project i'm working on. I 'm currently trying to put together a picture book called "Varanasi through their eyes". Varanasi is one of the most photographed city but the majority of the photographs are from visitors rather than the people themselves-in this case the fairmail teenagers. Here is a link to the photos I have chosen to be included in the book:

Their pictures

And now here is a little about each of the teenagers. Of course this information all came through a translator so it might be a little skewed, but i have tried my best to preserve the teenagers own words, thoughts, and feelings.

The Teenagers:

Sonu

Sonu likes being in fairmail because his parents do  not have a lot of work and are sick. Fairmail gives him  an opportunity to help them. He really likes taking  photos so he can reach beyond Varanasi and show others what he sees. 

Sonu dreams of becoming a good photographer and by learning photography skills he thinks he can be successful. After he is successful he would like to help  other people doing social work. For instance he would like to work with those who cannot walk. 

With the money he earns from fairmail Sonu would like to build a house because his whole family, four brothers, two sisters, mother, and father, all live in one room. 

In his spare time Sonu likes to do house work and to cook.

Anil 

Anil loves being part of fairmail and learning about photography. He really likes taking pictures because he can see other parts of his own city in a different way. Taking photographs also gives him an excuse to go to other parts of Varanasi like the old city and Assi ghat. 

Anil’s dreams for the future are to see his family happy and to keep them happy. He would also like to travel to Mumbai and the mountains. 

Anil wants to spend the money he earns from his photography on his house, specifically on painting, as well as putting up doors and windows. He also wants to use the money to support his family because his two brothers and sister are blind. Anil feels a great burden because he is the only son that can see. Anil says he wants to be successful because of his family. “I worry for them and I’m dreaming for them a lot”. 

In his free time Anil likes to dream and play music on the drum. 

 

Dhiraj (note: i spelled it phonetically in previous posts as Deeretch)

Dhiraj is very happy to be part of fairmail. He likes learning about photography because his photos can be used to express his feelings. When people see his pictures they might feel the same emotion in the photograph and then really enjoy his pictures. He also likes taking photos to remember things that have passed. 

Dhiraj dreams of becoming an IS officer which is a high ranking government official that makes important decisions and heads individual districts. He wants to do this job to make sure that his city is being taken care of. 

With the money Dhiraj earns he would like to pay for his studies and build a house as well as help his eight brothers and sisters with their studies and their homes. 

In his free time he likes to study and play. He likes to play street games like marbles and especially cricket.