Hari sits on the roof of the porch
Hari sits on the roof of the porch
Betrawati, May 25th 2005
(from left to right, back to front)
aama Bidhya with yellow scarf, chhori Bibhuti, cousin Shuvani, neighbor Pramisha in pink,
aunt Ganga in green, and Bibhuti’s paternal grandparents Arjun and Januka
Bubhuti’s family
Bubhuti’s family
Balaju, Kathmandu, July 16th, 2020
Relatives catch up during the Dashain festival
Relatives catch up during the Dashain festival
Janakpur, Nepal, October 22nd, 2015
Chandar (in red) is the maternal aunt of my friend.
Dukhni is the daughter of my friend’s paternal uncle.
(so, Dukhni is my friend’s cousin).
This was during the Dashain festival, when people go home to visit their relatives.
The neighborhood was flooded with Nepali and Bollywood music, which was being belted skyward by loudspeakers mounted on roofs; the goal being to play nice music to please the gods.
In Janakpur (which is only a few kilometers from the Indian border) you seem to see far more saris than in Kathmandu proper. Though a dry and dusty area, the myriad fabrics the women wear make it a colorful place—I wish I could have stayed longer.
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Hari sits on the roof of the porch
Hari sits on the roof of the porch
Betrawati, 2005
If you would like to donate to Mercy Corps’ Nepal Earthquake fund please click here.
If you would like to donate to UNICEF’s Nepal Earthquake fund please click here.
Family
Family
Manamaiju, Kathmandu
One of the things I love about Nepal is the warmth of the people. Friendly, inviting, and always open to laughter.
The route that I would walk most days took me on a long hairpin path. This family lived on the latter half of that hairpin, very near to the house of Ambika and Kopila. I believe this photo was taken on a late-winter day, as the family was enjoying the warmth of the winter sun on their second-story roof.
In the lower left hand corner you can see a small hand broom and a shallow woven basket used for sorting and drying rice and vegetables.
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If you would like to donate to UNICEF’s Nepal Earthquake fund please click here.
Proud boy holding Spider-Man
Proud boy holding Spider-Man
Kathmandu, early 2003
Sometimes in Nepal when a house or building is built, the roof is left un-finished or half-done; columns and re-bar, but little else, in case more storeys want to get added later. These mostly-flat roofs make a great place to put up a clothesline, spread out and dry vegetables in the sun, or keep potted plants.
It was the tail end of winter—probably early February—when I took this photo. The air was still cool enough for extra clothes, but the winter sun brought a gentle warmth if you caught it directly. This proud boy was on the roof of his family's building, enjoying the sun with his mother and his new Spider-Man toy.
Behind him, you can see the fallow fields that later will be awash in the yellow flower of mustard plants. In the far distance, above the dark green hills surrounding the Kathmandu valley, you can catch a glimpse of some of the Himalayas.
If you would like to donate to Mercy Corps’ Nepal Earthquake fund please click here.
If you would like to donate to UNICEF’s Nepal Earthquake fund please click here.
Update: Above is a field of mustard in bloom in Balaju.
Below is a photo taken on the same roof on a different day.
I'm unsure if that is a neighbor or a sibling