Pushkar, Rajasthan, India / October 2014 –

It was late in the day and my wife and I, along with our driver, were exploring the outskirts of this really cool town. It instantly became one of my favorites in India. It had a market place atmosphere and there were temples, European tourists, and a Moroccan casbah styled vibe to it. There were a lot of back packing young people who seemed to congregate here. It’s famous for its annual camel fair and is a bit of a religious mecca for those wishing to bath in holy waters. Unfortunately, we would miss the camel fair spectacle by about a week but the preparations were well underway and tourists were arriving. Apparently a lot of Israelis frequent it for the illegal drugs.

As is my custom, I like to give some coin to the children I photograph. However, with this photo, none of us in the car had any change or smaller bills. That was a huge disappointment for me because I wanted to photograph these children up close and give them something. They clearly had nothing. We didn’t even have any food with us – a rare unprepared moment.

I was contemplating their plight and wondering what chance would they ever have in leading a healthy productive life. It was clear they were living from hand to mouth with no proper bed or roof over their heads. Their tents were made of discarded blankets and clothing and that was just for shade and some semblance of privacy. How do you escape the near 40 degree Celsius temperatures without air conditioning? These children were likely used to going to bed hungry and in the same clothes. It’s the double-edged sword of travel. I feel more and more grateful for my fate in life. What hope would I have if it was me who had been born into one of these families? Most Indians I met had never traveled outside their state, let alone anywhere else in India or the world.

We had just pulled up but I didn’t get out of the car to photograph this. Within seconds of stopping, these three children spotted us and spontaneously started running towards us. I’m sure we weren’t the first tourists they’d seen or received handouts from, but we didn’t have any! We just couldn’t face not giving them something, so we took off. I felt I was abandoning them but the rejection could have been worse if they had begged for food and we had none to give.

Later upon reviewing this photo, I realized they saw us as hope. That’s why they were smiling. Presumably, we were going to give them something. They also knew the first one to arrive at the car would likely be the first one rewarded. It was a race they had embarked upon. When you’re hungry, it’s all about survival. These starving children would have only been too happy with scraps but even that we didn’t have. The true difference between us and them, is not our color or religion, it’s where we were born. And that’s something you can’t change.

I have more photos from Pushkar coming.