Children's christmas party.

A close friend of mine here in Kolkata asked me to take photographs for an event she was soon to host within the red-light district near to us. She runs programmes with some of the children who live in that area, and they were going to have a Christmas party, with games, prizes, and excitement!

Here is glimpse into that event.

Cricket Camp

This was a wee while ago now, but a few local groups similar to Freeset (i.e. with a heart for the women + children who live in and around Kolkata's red-light districts) organised a weekend of cricket for the children! A few coaches from the UK came over to show the kids a few skills, and basically just give them a weekend of fun that will keep them smiling for a good amount of time.

We handed each of them a brand-new tee + cap to make it official, and the whole lot of us marched with all of the equipment down to a local park.

Usually I don't get a chance to really spend an extended amount of time with the children at Freeset, mostly just a few cuddles in the morning, so a whole three days of being in the sun with these beautiful kids truly meant the world to me! Also, these ones were older (late primary to early teens) than others I get to interact with, so it was interesting to try and communicate with them! Now I understand why my parents always asked me to slow down when I spoke - these youngsters loved to speedily relay a few sentences my way, leaving me only with a confused look, and only one word I picked up.

These few days were the closest I have come to the Indian love for cricket, and it was very heart warming especially to see that the girls were quite keen to participate in what would normally be considered a men-dominated sport in this country.

It was also a great chance for me to get snap-happy (in fact, I was asked to come along for this reason especially), and they all absolutely loved to wrestle over the spotlight - although once there, it was sometimes difficult to ruffle up a smile out of them... I don't know what it is, but most people I have encountered here that are Indian nationals tend to hold a neutral expression. Secretly, I love this; it's a change from all the fake smiles, poses, and expressions that are all too easy to come across whilst browsing Facebook or the web.

Apart from being nearly attacked by a snarling dog, and having one too many young men spectators watching my every move, the cricket camp was such a valuable experience. The teen girls I became close to have definitely taken pieces of my heart with them.

I feel like half of my heart will be left here. At least.

Diwali

Diwali: the festival of lights.

If you close your eyes, you could easily make-believe you were in the midst of gunfire, with brilliant flashes of light piercing even the thin skin of your eyelids.

You find yourself up on the rooftops, surrounded by the people you've grown to love, and you allow yourself to lie backwards, head in the dirt, mesmerised by the light show above you; staring up into the sky, without being able to see your surroundings, you find yourself in a surreal place. You are no longer in India, nor are you in New Zealand; you're no-where, and anywhere you want to be.

The explosions drown out the sounds you've become accustomed to, like the persistent drone of a man bleating his call for you to come purchase his wares, the invasive chorus of a thousand horns, and the call of a mother shouting at her child because they went to pet a stray, mangy street-dog.

In all of this, you remember that the fireworks that are causing momentary blind-spots in your eye-sight are all to drive out evil spirits. And you pray. You pray that these spirits do leave, and that not just any light takes their place, but that of our heavenly father.

Diwali is the festival of lights. Our hearts cried for light to enter the hearts of others in a city that is full of darkness.

And as we hung our heads backwards over the balcony, for a moment it really did look like light was falling down to earth.