Light spilling from one quiet room into another; an unusually large home in the tea plantations of Madulkelle.
Selvaraj, 49, sits on the front porch of his home in Ambakotte village. He fled his home in Colombo at 15 years old when the civil war started in 1982. He was then forced out of his new home in Kandy, and into Ambakotte where he has lived since 1983. Today, he lives with his wife, and two children, aged 13 and 14.
A woman shows me her sparsely furnished home in Madulkelle. Her family has had little income ever since her husband lost his job as a bus driver. Together, she and her husband live off of their small farmland, and focus on raising their children.
The road to a tea plantation is often dotted with Spathodea trees. These trees bear red flowers, brought to Sri Lanka by the British in the 1800s because they were thought to be a mosquito deterrent.
Dharmalingam shows me around his home in Madulkelle. It is spacious and empty, the minimal sunlight shining through windows illuminating the vibrantly colored walls.
Children play in the small living area of their home. Houses in villages like this one are typically divided into three areas: the entryway, the living area that doubles as the bedroom, and the kitchen located in the very back of the house.
The village of Hunasgiriya is predominantly Christian. Crucifixes hang in tuk-tuks, on doors, and around the necks of villagers. This woman makes her way from her home to the nearby church on the hill for mass.
A man stands grasping a tied up hammock in his home in Ambakotte. These act as seats, as well as beds. Homes here often sleep large extended families, making space extremely tight, so it is important that they efficiently utilize the little space they have.
Dharmalingam is currently a stay at home father, though in the past he earned his money driving a bus, and recently ran for political office. Unfortunately, his campaign was cut short when he received threats from his opposition and had to withdraw. His bus was taken from him, and for the past 11 years he has been in a legal battle to get it back. He would like to be able to support his family once again.
Villagers of Hunnasgiriya gather in a small church atop a hill for a special monthly mass. The village is predominantly Christian, though a portion of its residents are Hindu.
Before prayer, muslim men in Kandy wash themselves. A literal and symbolic cleansing of the body at the Hanafi Mosque.
The Imam of the Hanafi Mosque in Kandy leaving his small living quarters just a flight of stairs above the prayer hall.
Typical evening activities in a village household. Mom prepares tea to accompany dinner while the kids do their homework or draw at the table. This family was celebrating getting their electricity back after a three-day blackout. Power outages are a common occurrence in rural Tamil villages.
Tamil girl passing through the bedroom area of her home. The walls are sparsely decorated, a curtain covering the opening to the front room.
Internally displaced by the civil war, a Tamil man stands in front of his home in the village of Ambakotte. A lot of the citizens of this village fled into the jungle due to pressure by the JVP, and were forced to construct their own village with little outside support. Many, like this man, live in extreme poverty to this day.
A rose, leftover offerings at a Hindu temple in Hunnasgiriya.
A mother in Ambakotte stands in her living room, her children by her side. A hammock used for sleeping swings in front of them.
Villagers in Madulkelle gather outside of their homes. Pets and livestock join them as they converse and go about their day. Many homes in this village are without running water or proper plumbing. They feel neglected by their government, and hope for change in the future.
A bird’s-eye view of the prayer hall in the Hanafi mosque in Kandy. Though there is prayer lead by the Imam, busy Kandyan muslims filter in and out throughout the day for their daily prayer.
Children play in their living room/bedroom in Abmakotte as their mother looks on. The walls are covered with drawings, what remains of child art projects long forgotten.
When we visited this family living on the Rothschild Tea Estate, they invited us into their home and wanted to get to know us. Children, parents, grandparents, all living together in the same house. Many children in this vilalge were playing with makeshift pinwheels made from drinking cans and sticks.
The interior of a Hindu home in Ambakotte. In Tamil villages like this one, it is common to see Hindus, Christians, and Muslims living peaceably as neighbors.
A man stands in front of one of the newer houses in Ambakotte. He lives here with his family, as well as a dog they have come to take care of.
A ball is thrown across the back doorway of a family's home. The children outside watch from the stoop, their attention drawn away from their afternoon coconut snack.