India's "Right to Education(RTE)" Act was passed in 2009, under which education was a fundamental right for every child between the age of 6 and 14. Unfortunately, dire economic circumstances and lack of infrastructure has resulted in this act remaining a "paper act' in many parts of the country. The children in this feature live in villages close to the desert town of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. Most of the villages they live in lack schools, and parents are reluctant to send the children to far away schools, especially for girls. At the same time, since most of the people here are poor, these children are forced to start earning money for their family from an early age. The boys typically become camel "drivers" for all the tourists who come for camel rides on the desert sands, while the girls come decked up in traditional attire and sing and dance for tourists in the hope of earning some precious money. And so another generation of children lose their childhood in this beautiful part of India. This seriese portrays a few such children of the desert.
A travel & landscape photographer based out of India.
Awards Bronze award in px3 2013. 2nd place Merit of Excellence award in Black & White Spider Awards 2012.
