cultures go back thousands of years.
The architecture, the language, the
way people dress, everything is so
distinct and unique, unlike Europe
or the United States, which has
become this homogeneous globaliza-
tion of culture.
Afghanistan has been one of the
central and most important stories of
my career. I have traveled there more
than 30 times.
One of my first photographs pub-
lished by The New York Times was
from my first visit to Afghanistan
when I traveled with the Mujahideen
in 1979. When the Soviet Union’s Red
Army invaded Afghanistan, it was
extremely difficult to get access to the
country. I was one of the few people
who had a body of work from there.
Since then, I have been following
the political situation that is evolv-
ing constantly. No matter how often I
return, this country always changes in
my absence through conflict, change
of regime, modernization. I feel a real
personal relationship with the Afghan
people, who I’ve met and who have
helped me while traveling the coun-
try and who have become extended
family. I also captured images of child
labor, young boys and girls working in
candy factories, images that still haunt
me, and always wanted to make a
change regarding this situation.And you have in part done
that through your non-
profit organization.
I founded ImagineAsia with fam-
ily and friends a couple years ago to
help young Afghans from the Bami-
yan region where the Hazara people
live. We are providing textbooks
and materials for schools to promote
education. We do drives to provide
blankets and coats for the hard win-
ters. We wanted to do something
very manageable where one could
actually see the benefits directly to
the people. Afghanistan’s children
represent the country’s hopes for a
better future, and education is the
only key to that future.What is it about India that
also has been a major focus in
your career?
India is also fascinating because it is
so culturally rich, with a varied geog-
raphy and strong social and cultural
disparities among its people. It was
the first place I traveled to as a young
photographer, and I was struck by the
unique variety of cultures, customs
and religions. The mix of Hinduism,
Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, Christi-
anity—and to see how they all inter-
mingled—has been a constant source
of fascination.
I find the people to be some of the
most outgoing, warm and generous on
the planet. Celebration is abundant,
exuberant, dramatic and colorful.
There is a vital spirit that is alive and
continuously connected to the ancient
history of the country.
Above all, no matter how much it’s
changing, there’s something about
India that makes you feel like you’re
stepping back into another time
and age. In terms of specific places,September 11, New York City, 2001
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