India: Girl with flies

To this girl, home is made of bits of cast-off plastic,
wood, rope and palm fronds. The monsoon rains and
extreme heat of India must make a mockery of its
construction.

This child and her family are also cast-offs, part of the
untouchable caste of India. They live just outside the rich
metropolis of Hyderabad, but have little contact with it.

I watched her stand there, still as the horde of flies that,
almost magically, clung to her dress. Hope does not often
visit her, but today it seemed something was shared
by the touch of a stranger's hand and the meeting of their eyes.

This is another of the desaturated images I spoke about earlier.

(70-200mm lens at 130mm, 1/500 sec, f4, ISO400)