We visited an artist community in Delhi called Kaputhli.  This is a group of some 300 families that was forcibly moved as a group from their prior homes, into temporary housing.  They were promised “new and better” homes within two years.  I’m sure you can guess the punchline — that was 5 years ago, and groundbreaking has not yet begun where they were promised to be placed.

Our first stop was at the home of a puppeteer, who put on a short show for us. We then had various members of the family sit in the stage with the puppets, resulting in the above images.

As we wandered the area, we found ourselves the center of attention, particularly with the kids. Every kid wanted their photo taken, and many wanted selfies taken with the tourists. Bottom-left image shows dozens of kids sitting on a rail, just to watch us.  Top-middle image shows the size of their current homes.  That one room you see in this photograph is the entire home, often occupied by three generations.

Oliver (our guide) arranged for some fire breathers to perform from an adjoining rooftop. This location offered a unique photographic opportunity, a blending of creative energy in the  environment of the slums.

Here is a short clip from Kaputhli.  It opens with a portion of a puppet show, then a few seconds from some kids jamming in their one-room home, and finishes with fire breathers.