Agra is home to the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Shikri, an abandoned Mughal capital that was vacated shortly after it was built. They are the highlights of Agra and if it weren't for these little boys, I'd probably have a picture of the Taj and be writing about how truly beautiful it is. But these guys are what I'll remember when I think of Agra.
The little guy flexing was first, he hit me up for money right away. The second I stepped up onto the wall, he was there. Change is hard to come by in India, there's a lot going on with their currency and I didn't have any. No matter what sign or pantomime I did to try and convey that I had no change, he kept putting his hand to his mouth saying "Food"
I think he was getting ready to move on when pointed at my camera, then at himself and said, "Foto?" I said "Haan" or yes. He posed for a few pictures, flexing and mean-mugging. I showed him the pictures on the back of the camera and he beamed. He pointed at one of the other boys nearby and made a motion like a hug. I nodded and he made the gesture again, as if he was checking. I laughed and nodded. The looks on his face went from questioning to unsure to excitement before he did that thing little boys do, where their entire body locks up and goes rigid as his head tilted back and he screamed to no-one in particular, "Family foto! Family foto! Family foto!" Suddenly, one of them literally crawled out of a drain pipe, the others were running as fast as they could, they bounded up onto the wall and it was game on. They were posing and jostling for position, each doing his own thing, each expressing himself. They stopped for a moment and clawed at my hand to see the back of the camera. When I turned on the screen, the arms shot up in victory and they burst out in a cheer. They wanted to see every picture, they were so excited. They were too young to be excited by a nice picture, I think it was more validation or proof. Proof they exist. They are. Even though the tall guy in the back has his eyes closed, I like this picture. He was the shy one and I think it's fitting he's sort of in his own space.
Family foto... I'm hoping and praying there's a parent at home or that there's even a home, but the reality is, it's probably the five of them against the world and even if they aren't blood relatives, they're all the family they have.
And this photo proves they were here.