I've been working with Raju Tailor on a variety of projects for nearly three years now. In that time, I've seen his children grow and his younger sister get married and move away. I have also taken many photos of his neighbors in the Vivekanand Colony -- hard-working people who I am proud to call my friends. After I get prints made from the photos, I go back and distribute copies around. It's often the first photo they have seen of themselves!

During the Hindu holiday of Diwali, Raju invited me to come celebrate with his family. I took photos of the people of the village on this the biggest celebration of the year in India. Everyone cleans and paints their homes in preparation for the big day. Then on Diwalli, they burn candles or oil lamps.

Here is a photo gallery of images from Diwali in the Vivekanand Colony

With the money that Raju made from our second order of yoga mat bags, he was able to purchase a new sewing machine -- one with advanced features like zig-zag and edge stitching. He was so proud of his new machine that he wanted to show it to me and have some photos taken of it. I told him I'd put the photos on the website for his customers to see.