A Mother's Anguish

I have always been drawn to the eyes of the people I meet. As a window to the soul, our eyes show truth no matter what face we choose to display to the world. And so it was with this mother I met in a quiet fishing village on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Having seen my camera, her children asked me to take their photographs. Their shrieks of excitement as they saw their faces appear on the camera screen were enough to bring smiles to the faces of the people passing by. Soon the children were calling for me to photograph their mother. She had been sitting quietly in the doorway of her one-bedroomed home, watching over the children as they played in the street.

Happy to talk to a stranger from overseas – a distraction from the monotony of everyday life – she explained that her husband had passed away some years earlier, leaving her to raise the children by herself. Life had been hard, but she was managing, content even, as she eked out her meagre earnings to build a life for herself and her children. And yet, despite the subtle hint of a smile, her eyes seem to betray an inner sense of anguish as they look away into the distance. It is anguish I have seen in the eyes of mothers around the world, as they watch over their children, protecting them and keeping them safe.