This is the side of India that the people there wants nobody to see. Friends of mine have traveled there, (I wish I could afford going), and they are constantly being told not to photograph things like this, and were also being consciously withheld from the 'worst' locations. But it's real and it's what truly goes on in the streets of India. The culture is definitely different from my part of the world; a few things that are utterly tangible is how many people live and sleep in the street, how people throw their litter directly on the street or in nature without thinking about it, and how poverty stricken it is. But there are wonderful things about India, of course, that need to be mentioned; the people from there that I know well will give me the shirts off their backs to help me if I need it, and many of the people I know from there will smile a lot more often than people I know in the US. Plus they put some of the most delicious food in the world on the map.
Thank you for sharing this photograph. Sitting behind my desk, in a comfy chair and everything I need within reach makes me realize just how spoiled rotten I am compared to most people in the world. This serves as a very good reminder to stay humble.
When I posted this photo for the first time in my local analog photo group I was accused of exploiting the awkward situation of poor people in a foreign country. This was never my intention. I feel with the ones I photograph, no matter whether they are friends or strangers. Sorry if I caused an argument here.
I can't say better than Thomas: "This serves as a very good reminder to stay humble." I learned more about life during 10 days in India than in many years in my home town. It really worked me over.
If you want to see more, send me a PN, I show some of these pictures in other places.