Aduram, 45, Mumbai, India. “I am from a higher cast. I had agricultural land, but you need money to farm”. Originally from Uttar Pradesh (UP), Aduram came to the shipping yards in search of work some 30 years ago. He now does freelance work for friends cutting, selling and distributing metal. “I sleep at my friend’s shop”. Aduram often visits family UP, although his parents have passed away. He laughed at the mention of marriage: “I’m too old to get married”. 2015.
Ibrahim Youssef, 70 & Fakir Muhammad, 65, Mumbai, India. “The secret to looking good is to only have healthy things - no bad things”. Ibrahim Youssef reassured me that he really was 70 although I could hardly believe it. He has 5 children and 9 grandchildren and has spent all his life here in Dharavi. “Before there were only slums here. You could see so far but now the buildings are very tall. The British rule was better …life is worse now”. 2015.
The flood waters rose alarmingly high for some, but these boys were too busy having fun to care! Varanasi, India. 2015.