The little boy from Hampi

I made this portrait of 12-year-old Ajitha while he was busy guarding a tribe of goat on the outskirts of Hampi, Karnataka(India). Noticing his expressive eyes from a distance, I walked towards him slowly and asked politely, "Do you go to school?" (in Kannada, which is the local language). He smiled back warmly, looked me in the eye and said, "No..."



That "NO" still hasn't left my mind. Whether it was a happy no, or a sad no, is something I still wonder about.