Looking down the drain, a photo from Delhi, North

Photographer's Note

The Yamuna is the largest tributary of the revered Ganges, but its polluted waters pose an increasing health hazard to the Indian capital.

On Delhi's sacred Yamuna River, beneath a wrought-iron bridge built by the British more than 100 years ago, the remains of the dead were falling on to the living.

From the footbridge or else from the windows of passing cars and passenger trains people were throwing bags containing human ashes and garlands of flowers. On the black stinking river below, children, men and women sitting astride homemade rafts waited for the bags to fall and then paddled quickly towards them, ripping them apart and collecting the polythene. Sometimes the bags broke open in mid-air, creating a cloud of ash and petals that fell on to those waiting below.

These poor people living below the poverty line collect polythene, iron or any kind of metal which can be sold in the market for cents. these childern, men and women earn $1 or $2 by the end of the day and the process goes on every day. this water is hazardous for every one and a big cause for skin desies. People like us can not even think to touch this water but they dive in to this black dirty water to collect coins or bags.

The largest tributary of the revered Ganges, the Yamuna is one of the country's most sacred rivers, and yet perhaps also its dirtiest.

Ps- i and my co-workers have formed an NGO for these poor people who lives under the poverty line. we are trying to give their childern free education and helping them to create new avenues for work. lets see how far we can take this mission.
we need you all to join in for this humble cause.

regards
Manuj Mehta

MarcT, ls7902, Dyerco, gunbud, goodwill, Clementi, shevchenko, rabani, trekks, dareco, robiuk, Cretense, holmertz, Jeppe, mvdisco, bisok oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

MarcT (20964) 2008-07-25 22:10

O Manuj!
What an incredible story with an excellent documentary picture.
Best wishes for you and your friends
Marc

amino (440) 2008-07-25 22:36

Hi Manuj,

A lovely capture yet sad. In our times, with the information revolution, i think many of know that most people of our planet endure hard times to make their ends meat.

Thank you for sharing

ls7902 (7380) 2008-07-25 22:59

Hello Manuj,
Nice & disturbing documentary photo ... sad story and facts of life. I wonder why the more well to do are throwing things off the bridge and not dumping them somewhere else to make it easier for these people to collect. Looks like the raft could tilt over anytime with more weight added. Best Regards. Latiff.

marek-mzungu (506) 2008-07-25 23:08

hi,
very good shot, interesting story behind it ...
good luck with the NGO
rgds
m

scalerman (26900) 2008-07-25 23:40

Manuj: a simple, very complex compostion (contradiction?) - green to follow.... c

baladeva (252) 2008-07-26 0:06 [Comment]

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mikolaj_kawa (0) 2008-07-26 0:50

Hello Manuj! Very interesting picture. Dangerous scene. Good shot. Very original capture. Well done!

Morac (27725) 2008-07-26 2:39

Hello,

Thank you for this impressive photograph and this long quite precise and complete note.
Thank you also for all the work which you made with NGO to help these people in very great difficulty.

Amicalement
Marc

Nota: I am reading Shantaram,w ho describes the life in the slums of Bombay.
This photograph makes me think of this book.

Dyerco (10185) 2008-07-26 6:18

Hi Manuj
This is an excellent piece of photojournalism. I was not sure what this younf man was doing exactly until I read your write up which was very good by the way. Good luck with your NGO.
Phil

gunbud (34066) 2008-07-26 6:27

Hi Manuj,
Your striking image documents the extreme poverty of these people and dangerous things to do to just survive until the next day. Very profound note that goes with the noble cause.
Regards, Tom

Clementi (52514) 2008-07-26 14:30

Ciao Manuji
an interesting history and a very beautiful photo. I like it as you have captured the man's effort.
compliments
Giorgio

shevchenko (20560) 2008-07-27 19:28

Hi Manuj,
Interesting composition to show a daily life photo from a dirty river, good pov to show a young man rowing his transport with carring a lots of plastec bags, rubbish is useless for rich people but usefull for poor people to make money.
Ally

rabani (9645) 2008-07-28 1:25

Dear Manuj,
This is a strange world we are living in. While rich people throws things which are useless to them, poor people are almost sacrificing their lives to collect and recycle them. And excuse me for saying this, if the river is so sacred, why would it be endangering anybody else.
Honestly, if the deads could speak, even they would not want to be a part of the darkening river.

Your photo here could be used to show and tell, the differences between the rich and the poor, and how those differences affect those poor, very badly. You did good with the NGO.

At least your subject means more to you than just an image on a paper. If it means more to you, there are others who feel the same.

Good Luck Manuj and keep shooting. You never know when one of those photos, will touch someone with enough resources and grey matter to do something with what he or she sees.

Regards
Rabani

trekks (14348) 2008-07-28 3:40

hi Manuj

Very good capture of the daily scene and you did well on this composition. A good journalistic photo work.

tfs, bill

dareco (17136) 2008-07-28 7:22

This is all so sad, your picture speaks volumns. Very well taken! The note is excellent and informative. I wish you and your friends all the very best. God Bless you! TFS

robiuk (10807) 2008-07-28 14:24

Good photo that perfectly reflects the social issues in
Delhi and wider, Manuj. And thanks to your extensive note,
the picture is more complete.
Reading about your involment in helping poor and those
who are directly affected makes me think of how possibly
could I help.
Cheers,
Robi

Cretense (68709) 2008-07-29 2:58

Hi Manuj!

Amazing daily life scene, excellent portrait of a man at work, great example of photojournalism! Your composition is simple but excellent, great framing, perfect light managment and brilliant colours! Congratulations!

Hercules

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2008-07-29 3:46

So expressive. A really powerful portrait of daily life. The exposure is perfect. Well done.
Best wishes,
Achim

holmertz (103596) 2008-07-30 7:13

Hello Manuj,
A remarkably good documentary photo, so different from the pretty views dominating TE. These living conditions and environmental problems shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone in these days of fast media reporting, but we still need to be reminded again and again.
Please keep up this good work.
Regards,
Gert

Jeppe (18654) 2008-07-31 1:43

Hi Manuj
Very touching photo and note - thanks for sharing this
Jeppe

pastadog (13111) 2008-07-31 2:20

Hi Manuj - an excellent catch and a document of daily life on the river; thanks for sharing, Daniel

mvdisco (17798) 2008-08-01 22:46

Hi ManuJ,
Impressive picture well taken and presented with great colors and sharp picture, Excellent POV. and details, WoW!!
very well done.and nice note ..
compliments
Michel

bisok (948) 2008-08-05 7:09

Hi Manuj

Sorry, but I don't know what to say, what to write !

I added your photo to my favourite. I have another photo from India in my favourite ( http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/photo876949.htm )

Best regards from Asia

Mirek

jasmis (58653) 2008-08-05 23:43

Important and dramatic photo. An impressive story told here.
Regards.

Fakir (0) 2008-08-06 2:48