KATHPUTLI SLUM
Spending some time with street performers, acrobats, dancers, magicians, and their families.




Recently I embarked upon a photo essay, with a friend and fellow photographer Inger Vandyke ,documenting the lives and activities of residents in the Kathputli (or Puppeteers’) Colony, a community of artists in an area of West Delhi in India.
Kathputli is a 40-year old colony of about 2,800 families. The community consists of puppeteers (kathputli in Hindi) and other artists. Living conditions in Kathputli are far below Delhi’s living standards and most parts of the colony are classified as “slum area”. We had a local guide who stayed with us during our 2 days; meeting, talking and photographing this amazing slum.





We walked through narrow alleys, having to be carefull not to step in the open sewer drains and as we went along I was mesmerised with the world of Kathputli around me . The tiny houses, often only 1 room where a family would live, eat and sleep , laundry lines everywhere with their colourful clothing on it , women cooking on the street,people asleep outside underneath a tarp and string, and the screams and happy cries of children playing, and following us wanting to shake our hand and meet us .
It’s a crowded, noisy, bustling world, far from the clean and our western ideal of home and community. And yet, to the thousands of residents, this is their home .





I didn’t know what to expect and was anxious photographing these people , my fear quickly melted away as I found myself incredibly surprised by the slums in a beautiful way!
We were amazed by the positive outlook that each and every person we spoke to shared with us – how is it possible that people with so little can appreciate life so much? Their family bond is amazing and beautiful , they all look after each other, it made me realise that there is nothing more important in life as long as you have your family !




The people in Kathputli where warm and welcoming those 2 days and there was colour, beauty and kindness everywhere !
I hope I am able to give you a little insight in the life and streets of Kathputli, with my images .




Ingrid Hendriksen ; http://www.ingridhendriksenphotography.zenfolio.com
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Tags: artists, community, dehli street, delhi, india, porrait, slum, slummingit, streetphotography, streets, travel photographer, travel photography, travel stories, travelblog, travelphotography
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