Gold / 2022 / Portraiture / Children

• Prize
  Gold in Portraiture/Children
• Photographer
  Arjun Kamath, India
• Studio
  Arjun Kamath Photography

I made this portrait of 12-year-old Ajitha while he was busy guarding a tribe of goat on the outskirts of Hampi, Karnataka(India).

I smiled at him and asked politely, "Do you go to school?" (in Kannada, which is the local language).

He smiled back warmly and said, "No..." ("illa" in Kannada).

That "No" and his innocent smile still hasn't left my mind. Whether it a happy no, or a sad no, we'll never know.