Portrait nominee

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

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

He smiled back warmly and said, "No..." while continuing to guard the goats as they grazed.

That "No" and his innocent smile still hasn't left my mind. Whether it a happy no, or a sad no, is something I still wonder about.

A published photographer, an award-winning filmmaker, an avid storyteller- I go by many tags. But here’s how I’d rather describe myself- I like to see the world through my lens more than with my bare eyes, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. From having been published by media mammoths like the United Nations, National Geographic, The Guardian, and Daily Mail, to winning the heart of a small town girl back in the Aru Valley(Kashmir) with a picture I took of her, my audience has been eclectic.