Happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope you’re enjoying time with family and friends. Today is a day to reflect upon all that we are thankful for. In that spirit, I would like to share with you a short video on the subject of giving, and the subject of thanks.
As photographers we all know the importance of sight but often times we take our sight for granted.
Many people in this modern world who’s eyesight is deteriorating due to age or disease can’t afford something as simple and inexpensive as a pair of reading glasses, and therefore wouldn’t be able to read this text even if they had a computer and access to the internet.
While touring the countryside our photography group came across a small village near our tented camp in rural Rajasthan. Carl Valiquet, one of the tour group members, took a photograph of an elderly man and then turned his digital camera around to show the man his image. The man shrugged his shoulders, signaling to Carl that he couldn’t see his image on the small LCD screen. Instinctively, Carl took off his reading glasses and handed them to the elderly man, immediately a smile emerged on the man’s face as he was able to clearly see his photograph.
Unable to speak English, the man tried through sign language, to make Carl understand that he wanted to keep the glasses. Unfortunately Carl couldn’t give the man his only pair of prescription glasses.
We bid farewell to the man and his village and headed back to our camp. On the ride home, another tour group member, Lisa, heard Carl’s story about the man who needed glasses and quickly volunteered to give an extra pair of reading glasses that she had brought. We decided to return to the same village the next day and give the elderly man, Lisa’s pair of spare glasses.
What follows is a short video of Carl, presenting the reading glasses to the elderly man. No translation is necessary. Enjoy, and happy Thanksgiving to all.
During my ten years of working with NGOs around the world, I have shot for several NGOs that provide eye care and or eye glasses to folks in the developing world including the Seva Foundation.
- Seva Foundation Battambang, Cambodia 2004
If I were to contribute glasses or money, I would strongly consider donating to the Seva Foundation because they do fantastic work. Here’s a link to a post I did about my work with Seva Foundation in Cambodia, with a link to their website on the final page.
If you’re in a hurry, just click here to jump directly to Seva’s website
What a great video. Everyone looks so happy. For obvious reasons.
Thanks Sean and happy Thanksgiving to you, over there in Japan!
You are so right Karl, giving back is what life is all about. This is a great story.
Wonderful Karl!
The large majority of us in this country are so lucky and don’t even know it. Seeing simple acts of kindness like this should help us all to not take our many blessings for granted!
Terry
What a lovely piece. 🙂
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Thanks for this video, Karl. Next time I travel with you, I will bring at least 20 pairs of reading glasses to give away to the elderly. I know I am dependant upon my reading glasses. Usually we think of giving things to the childen and forget the older ones. Thank you for reminding us of the large difference we can make in someone’s life by a small gesture on our part. That’s what makes the world go round! I am thankful for my ability to see what I am photographing.
Judi
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Hi! Karl,
this video was so moving and the glasses were such a great gift for this man. I think even our dollar store glasses from here would help a lot of people to see close-up things. Maybe tour participants could be encouraged to bring along a few pairs of different strenghts to give away.
thanks for sharing this as well as the video I watched yesterday of the lady in the Manvar area.
Alice McKinnon
tour participant 2009.
Great idea Alice! I’ll make it a point to mention it!