MAY 25, 2007 -- While touring Agra Fort today, I was approached by a young girl and her brothers and sisters. They were from Bangladesh and on vacation with their parents, touring the historical sights just like we were. The boys had binoculars around their necks to better see the view of the Taj Mahal just across the river. The oldest sister wanted to know where I was from, and I told her the United States -- the state of Texas, to be exact."Taxes?" she asked.
Sigh...
Anyway, I asked if they were siblings, and she said yes. Then I asked if I could take their picture and they kindly obliged. After snapping their photo, I asked if they'd like some stick
ers. I pulledthe sheets from my camera bag and showed them the selection. These kids bypassed the Disney girls with fluffy expressions like "Marvelous! Lovely! Simply Amazing! Beautiful!" in favor of the punchier praises from The Incredibles family: "Way to Go! Incredible Stuff! Good Thinking! Great Work!"
When one of the younger sisters reached out for her sticker, I immediately noticed the intricate henna designs on her arms and hands. Amit later told me that a close relative (perhaps an aunt) likely just got married, and she was in the wedding party. I asked her if I could photograph her hands and she gave me that curious Indian nod (not a shake, not a nod -- sort of a head wobble.) It took me a while to get used to this gesture meaning "YES." Her sisters eagerly rolled up the girl's shirt sleeves so I could get a better view of the detail; you could tell they were proud -- an impromptu session of Show-n-Tell right there at Agra Fort.
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