The trouble with girls Back in 1992, the government of India officially recognised the practice of female infanticide in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu, South India. Several systems were put into place to reduce the number of baby girls murdered by their parents. Including the introduction of the cradle systems in primary health centres where parents can give up their children, heavy penalties for parents found guilty for murdering their children and cash grants for parents with girl children. Although population distribution and NGOs would tell a different story, the government announced that female infantacide has now been eradicated. This photoeassy examines the status of women in rural South India; while many have been saved at birth, with poverty and the custom of dowry still rampant, what lives await them? View now

Our Father, Who Art In India Christianity arrived in India years before many European countries became Christians. It is believed that St Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles arrived in India in 52 AD. However, it was another 1400 years before European missionaries began to arrive in numbers. Pope Alexander VI in 1493 divided the ‘newly discovered’ world and entrusted Portugal for missionary activities. Today, there are estimated to be 25 million Christians in India, which is just below 3% of the total population. About 73% of them are Catholics. According to recent statistics, there are over 20,000 priests, 90,000 nuns and 7600 seminarians at present in India. In fact, the supply is outstripping local demand; many seminarians are now expected to gain qualifications at postgraduate levels in order to lengthen their training. However, while the Indian church is finding it difficult to place new priests, there has been an increasing demand for them both in Europe and the US. View now

Beyond the tan Thousands of people around the world enjoy ballroom and latin dancing as a hobby. People of different nationalities, backgrounds, colours and abilities express themselves through dance. For a talented few, dancing is competed and performed professionally. The United States Dance Sport Championships in Miami is branded as 'America's most prestigious competition'; it has a total prize fund of over US$ 160,000 and has competitors from more than 30 nations participating. Images from such competitions are usually of glamorous dancers, with their even fake tan, heavy make-up, vaseline smeared upper teeth, beaming smiles, shinny shoes and sparkly dresses. However, only a small percentage of people can compete professionally. This photo essay goes beyond the tan and shows the side of ballroom dancing you don't normally get to see. View now

Dancing into fame Bharatanatyam, the most celebrated art form of Southern India; A dynamic and earthly dance style, believed to be the oldest of all classical dance forms. Historically performed by Devedasis (temple girls) during religious ceremonies and celebrations, has remained, nowadays dominated by women from the Brahmins caste. The story tells the story of Shyam, a male dancer from a backwards caste family in Kerela, South India. He dreams of popularising the art form among the general public and find fame through dancing. View now

Waiting for the miracle India is experiencing the biggest economic boom in its history. Within a generation, India economy will overtake Japan and Western Europe to become the third largest in the world. It now has the highest number of billionaires in Asia. Unlike China, the boom is not based on sweatshops and factories but on high skilled economic such as Information Technology and biotechnology, employing highly qualified graduates. The IT industry for example, only hires around 1.3 million people, barely 0.1% of the population. 70% of the Indian population live in the rural area and here, there are little signs of the economic miracle. Thousands of farmers live in abject poverty, with no money even to buy seeds to farm their land. There are numerous cases where farmers having to take out loans to buy poisons or kerosene to commit suicide. These photographs are taken in several orphanages and homes for disabled children in the rural areas outside Chennai, South India. Little of the money has reached them and the homes rely on the donations from relatively poor local rural populations. Many of the children were sent here after their parents committed suicide. Other children with disabilities were abandoned as the parents who work hand-to- mouth have no choice but to take on low paid, long hour work with no time to care for a disabled child. View now

The Stone breakers India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Buildings and sky scrapers are shooting up in every corner. Flyovers are being built to accommodate the commuter traffic and in order to raise these structures, the raw materials are blasted, broken down by hand and brought from the granite quarries all over India. Men, women and children work in these quarries filling lorry loads of granite, they are paid a pittance, and half is taken at source to repay loans, many suffer dreadful injuries from the blasting and have no money or facilities for medical care. It is estimated that there are 400 thousand quarry workers in Tamil Nadu state alone. View now

Summer palace Norbulingka, the former summer palace of the Dalai Lama, houses a zoo. It is visited by many tibetans on pilgrimage in Lhasa. While China does have a law that forbids the poaching and hunting of endangered species, there is no legislation to prevent cruelty and abuse against animals of any kind. As a result, the zoo seems to have no awareness or concern for the welfare of the animals. View now

Where love resides View now