In a Tamil Nadu village that was strung with clotheslines
stood more than fifty boys in five straight lines
(and one tiny girl)

In five straight lines they walked Vikravandi
and photographed fruits, cows, busses, and beyond-y

Strong beginnings.

Nametags + pride.

On Thursday we met students from St. Mary’s, a crowd of ten that karate-chopped their way into our hearts. On Friday we met The Hostel Boys, a roaring mass of energy that rolled into SAMSSS for after-school learning and hijinx. On Saturday, the two groups joined forces to participate in Worldwide Photowalk, an international event that took place on October 5. As groups of photographers from dozens of countries documented their communities, we marched through Vikravandi, passing seven cameras from student to student. Their photos are amazing. From Aathvan to Vikram; from Infant to Karl Marks, the students captured images showing Vikravandi as the quintessential yet special place it is.

Although this was our rowdiest challenge to date, with the aid of the SAMSSS crew (Father Felix, Agni, Sabinesh, Priya) and Communities Rising intern Adriana Ganci we ended the night with hundreds of photos, most of which you can see here. The photos taken by kids 14 and older will be entered into Worldwide Photowalk’s prize competition – we will be sure to keep you updated as that progresses.

SEE ALL THE STUDENT PHOTOS HERE