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Child labour is the practice of having children engage in economic activity, on part- or full-time basis. The practice deprives children of their childhood and is harmful to their psysical and mental development. Poverty, lack of good schools and growth of informal economy are considered as the important causes of child labour in India. In this photograph an Indian balloon boy is selling his balloons at the Juhu Beach in Mumbai, India.
This portrait of a young Indian boy selling balloons was taken at the sprawling Juhu Beach in Mumbai, India. A place Kristian Bertel photographed on one of his journeys to India. While the waves are hitting the shore at this beautiul beach, surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, balloon-selling children have their struggle to get through the day by selling balloons to the tourists and the visitors of the beach.
Juhu, a famous public beach in Mumbai, India
Juhu Beach still pulls charm of millions of Indian citizen from all over the country. But at the same time city is fighting back to ensure to keep the beach clean. Lot has changed over the years like having a dedicated lifeguard at the beach, cleaning of plastics and other rubbish on daily basis. It is not about beach or crowd surrounding you, its about the atmosphere and liveliness of the place. A long walk on the beach either early in the morning or during only the sunset that gives you an amazing feeling. Pav bhaji, Bhel puri, Pani puri and Kulfi should definitely be trie here. Juhu Beach is situated in the suburbs of Mumbai. It is one of the largest and most popular beaches of Mumbai and it is a very long beach. To the north of this beach is Gandhi Gram where Mahatma Gandhi lived in his days as a lawyer. You can also see many coconuts plants here as well as great food. This is one of the best places to be during evening hours in case you happen to be in Mumbai and the beach stretches over a vast area and a good place for an evening stroll.
The warmth of vendors serving is heartfelt. Areas surrounding the Juhu Beach is the posh Juhu area and you can stroll on the street. The Mahatma Gandhi statue on the beach is a famous landmark. If anyone is visiting Juhu Beach for a beach experience they may be disapointed as it is pretty messed up and overcrowded in weekend evenings. Although it is a good place to relish the variety of Indian road side food, which is pretty good and you sure must. The beach is very poorly maintained. Tourists who visit the beach often left their wastages like plastic packets, glass on the beach. You cannot see the blue water of the Arabian Sea from Juhu Beach. The beach is small in size and sunbathing facility is unavailable.
Beaches are the result of wave action by which waves or currents move sand or other loose sediments of which the beach is made as these particles are held in suspension. In this photograph people are gathering at the Juhu Beach in Mumbai, India.
A scenic morning and a setting sun
When visiting the Juhu Beach you can see a scening morning with the lovely orange gleam of the rising sun. You can also see the chatter of walkers galore, but sadly this beach is strewn with bits of plastic and garbage with the smallest bits of papers mixed with the tired sand and the beach may be dirty and not well maintained. The best time to visit is in the early morning or in the evening before sunset and this place is also known for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations when people from all over Mumbai come to immerse the idols of Lord Ganesh in the Arabian Sea.
The shape of a beach depends on whether the waves are constructive or destructive, and whether the material is sand or shingle. Waves are constructive if the period between their wave crests is long enough for the breaking water to recede and the sediment to settle before the succeeding wave arrives and breaks. In this photo the sun is setting in over Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Immerse yourself to the Juhu Beach
The beach is great place to relax as a traveling photographer and it is good travel place to see. Especially on weekends and holidays, the lively beach turns into a picnic spot for the people. Kurla lies on the southern end of Salsette Island along the east bank of the Mithi River. Though Juhu is a beach but is more for fun other than you have at the beach. The sandy beach is beautiful but is a bit commercialized. Great street shops selling the snacks are plenty or if you wish to sit at a restaurant and enjoy you can. The photos on this blog is from when the photographer visited this beach as part of his visit to Mumbai, a place which also has been mentioned on National Geographic Travel.
An Indian boy making his livelihood by selling balloons on a crowded beach in Mumbai, India. In developing countries, with high poverty and poor schooling opportunities, child labour is still prevalent. Worldwide agriculture is the largest employer of child labour. Vast majority of child labour is found in rural settings and informal urban economy. Children are predominantly employed by their parents, rather than factories.
Children are selling balloons on the Juhu
Child labour is the practice of having children engage in economic activity, like in this blog post by selling balloons on the beach, on part or full-time basis. The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and mental development. Poverty and lack of schools are considered as the primary cause of child labour. A variety of Indian social scientists as well as the non-governmental organisations, NGOs, have done extensive research on the numeric figures of child labour found in India and determined that India contributes to 1/3 of Asia's child labour and 1/4 of the world's child labour. Due to a large number of children being illegally employed, the Indian government began to take extensive actions to reduce the number of children working, and to focus on the importance of facilitating the proper growth and development of children. Poverty and growth of informal economy are considered as the important causes of child labour in India. Child labour has long term adverse effects for India. To keep an economy prospering, a vital criterion is to have an educated workforce equipped with relevant skills for the needs of the industries.
Child labour in India photographed
The term 'child labour' is best defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. It refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children or work whose schedule interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or work that affects in any manner their ability to focus during war and clubs and boutros, school or experience a healthy childhood. The presence of a large number of child labourers is regarded as a serious issue in terms of economic welfare. Children who work fail to get necessary education. They do not get the opportunity to develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and psychologically. In terms of the physical condition of children, children are not ready for long monotonous work because they become exhausted more quickly than adults. This reduces their physical conditions and makes the children more vulnerable to disease. The young labourers today, will be part of India's human capital tomorrow. Child labour undoubtedly results in a trade-off with human capital accumulation. Child labour in India are employed with the majority 70 percent in agriculture some in low-skilled labour-intensive sectors such as 'Sari weaving' or as domestic helpers, which require neither formal education nor training, but some in heavy industry such as coal mining.
According to the International Labour Organisation, there are tremendous economic benefits for developing nations by sending children to school instead of work. Without education, children do not gain the necessary skills such as English literacy and technical aptitude that will increase their productivity to enable them to secure higher-skilled jobs in future with higher wages that will lift them out of poverty.
Not every child in India is as lucky as this middle class girl from India on the Juhu Beach. Children who work, instead of going to school, will remain illiterate which limits their ability to contribute to their own well being as well as to community they live in. Child labour has long term adverse effects for India. To keep an economy prospering, a vital criterion is to have an educated workforce equipped with relevant skills for the needs of the industries.
Tourist attraction in Mumbai, India
Juhu Beach is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea in the western part of Mumbai. It stretches for 6 kilometers up to Versova. It is a popular tourist attraction throughout the year and is also a sought after destination for shooting films. The beach generally gets more crowded on weekends with families and courting couples. Horse pulled carriages offer joyrides to tourists for a small fee while acrobats, dancing monkeys, cricket matches, toy sellers vie for tourist's attention. The beach is among the most popular sites in the city for the annual Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations where thousands of devotees arrive in grand processions, carrying idols of the Lord Ganesh of various sizes, to be immersed in the water at the beach. Unfortunately, the beach often becomes very dirty. Juhu Beach is also a popular spot for planespotting as a portion of it lies underneath the departure path from Runway in Mumbai.
The shape of a beach depends on whether the waves are constructive or destructive, and whether the material is sand or shingle. Waves are constructive if the period between their wave crests is long enough for the breaking water to recede and the sediment to settle before the succeeding wave arrives and breaks. In this photo the sun is setting in over Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Beaches, and how they are made naturally
Beaches are the result of wave action by which waves or currents move sand or other loose sediments of which the beach is made as these particles are held in suspension. Beach materials come from erosion of stones offshore, as well as from headland erosion and slumping producing deposits of scree. A coral reef offshore is a significant source of sand particles. Some species of fish that feed on algae attached to coral outcrops and stones can create substantial quantities of sand particles over their lifetime as they nibble during feeding, digesting the organic matter, and discarding the stone and coral particles which pass through their digestive tracts. The composition of the beach depends upon the nature and quantity of sediments upstream of the beach, and the speed of flow and turbidity of water and wind. Sediments are moved by moving water and wind according to their particle size and state of compaction. Particles tend to settle and compact in still water. Once compacted, they are more resistant to erosion. Established vegetation will resist erosion by slowing the fluid flow at the surface layer. When affected by moving water or wind, particles that are eroded and held in suspension will increase the erosive power of the fluid that holds them by increasing the average density, viscosity and volume of the moving fluid. The nature of sediments found on a beach tends to indicate the energy of the waves and wind in the locality. Coastlines facing very energetic wind and wave systems will tend to hold only large stones as smaller particles will be held in suspension in the turbid water column and carried to calmer areas by longshore currents and tides. Coastlines that are protected from waves and winds will tend to allow finer sediments such as clays and mud to precipitate creating mud flats and mangrove forests.
The shape of beaches
The shape of a beach depends on whether the waves are constructive or destructive, and whether the material is sand or shingle. Waves are constructive if the period between their wave crests is long enough for the breaking water to recede and the sediment to settle before the succeeding wave arrives and breaks. Fine sediment transported from lower down the beach profile will compact if the receding water percolates or soaks into the beach. Compacted sediment is more resistant to movement by turbulent water from succeeding waves. On sandy beaches, the turbulent backwash of destructive waves removes material forming a gently sloping beach. On pebble and shingle beaches the swash is dissipated more quickly because the large particle size allows greater percolation, thereby reducing the power of the backwash and the beach remains steep.
You can even have a bite of your favorite snacks in the nearby snack counters and food stalls, which are located at the beginning of the Juhu Beach. 'Bhel puri', 'Pav bhaji' and 'Kala khatta' gola are must to eat for anyone who has been here. Unfortunately, nowadays, the place is becoming filthy as people would through all kinds of waste in the sand rather than using the dustbin. The authorities are doing their best to make it clean but the number of people visiting the place is too much. The best part of the beach is the breath taking view of twilight and if you happen to be a passionate photographer, then you do not want to miss this place.
Mumbai photos from Maharashtra, India
Kristian Bertel has photographed over 6,000 pictures on his latest journey to India, showcasing the pictures online, covering subjects as diverse as travel, culture, life conditions and the life in the cities of India. On his recent trip, he has focused on the poverty in the city of Mumbai, with stories from the everyday life of the inhabitants of this city of millions. Although he has a versatile approach to his photographic subjects, he always is on the lookout for the stories behind the pictures. "- I always try to find the personal stories behind the headlines, blending a warm human sensitivity with a photographer's eye for detail to distill global issues into resonant images", the photographer says. His most recent work portrays the life at the Juhu Beach in Mumbai, India, where the photographer explored the worldwide issues of child labour. As he did with his earlier photography Kristian Bertel tells stories with dedicated portraits of a sometimes hard life in India. Kristian Bertel is working as a travel photographer and he is available for editorial and travel assignments all over Europe, Asia, Africa and in the Middle East. For further information and inquiries please:
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More photographs from India
If you are interested to see more photos and imagery from India, you can see one of the slideshows, which also appears on the photographer's website.
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