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  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling114.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling084.jpg
  • Masai study in  an adult literacy training program funded by Oxfam GB at the Endulen Primary school in Ngornogoro District in Tanzania September 29, 2003.  The Masai were thrown out of the Crater in 1972 and struggle to hang onto the lands they live on now because of increasing pressure from conservationists. (Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_032.jpg
  • Pastoral community of Masai who are under threat of losing their lands because of the tourism industry in Ngorogoro in Tanzania September 30, 2003 (Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_028.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 2, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 02, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_022.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 2, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 02, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_020.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 2, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 02, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_019.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 2, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 02, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_018.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 4, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 04, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_015.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 4, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 04, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_014.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 4, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 04, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_013.jpg
  • Villagers of Zigberi get water from the only pump well that offers clean water for miles in a remote part of Burkina Faso in the desert region near the Malian border March 28, 2007.  Water is  precious commodity here and most families end up drinking dirty water rather than walk the miles it takes to get to the well. Ami Vitale
    _DSC2021.jpg
  • Villagers of Zigberi get water from the only pump well that offers clean water for miles in a remote part of Burkina Faso in the desert region near the Malian border March 28, 2007.  Water is  precious commodity here and most families end up drinking dirty water rather than walk the miles it takes to get to the well. Ami Vitale
    _DSC1900.jpg
  • Villagers of Zigberi get water from the only pump well that offers clean water for miles in a remote part of Burkina Faso in the desert region near the Malian border March 28, 2007.  Water is  precious commodity here and most families end up drinking dirty water rather than walk the miles it takes to get to the well. Ami Vitale
    _DSC1899.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling173.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling116.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling092.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling072.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling066.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling011.jpg
  • Margaret teaches class 3 at the Endulen Primary school in Ngornogoro District in Tanzania September 29, 2003. She is the only Masai teacher in the school. The Masai were thrown out of the Crater in 1972 and struggle to hang onto the lands they live on now because of increasing pressure from conservationists. (Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_031.jpg
  • Children  study at the Endulen Primary school in Ngornogoro District in Tanzania September 30, 2003.  The Masai were thrown out of the Crater in 1972 and struggle to hang onto the lands they live on now because of increasing pressure from conservationists. (Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_027.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 2, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 02, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_023.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 2, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 02, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_021.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 2, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 02, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_017.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 4, 2003: Children study at Waleza Primary school  October 04, 2003 in Shinyanga District, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_016.jpg
  • Shinyanga, Tanzania, October 4, 2003: Girls who have just finished exams for 7th Standard, Eunice Sospeter, left and her friend Helena Simon sit in a window October 04, 2003 in Shinyanga, Tanzania. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    2003_Rwanda_012.jpg
  • Villagers of Zigberi get water from the only pump well that offers clean water for miles in a remote part of Burkina Faso in the desert region near the Malian border March 28, 2007.  Water is  precious commodity here and most families end up drinking dirty water rather than walk the miles it takes to get to the well. Ami Vitale
    _DSC2006.jpg
  • Villagers of Zigberi get water from the only pump well that offers clean water for miles in a remote part of Burkina Faso in the desert region near the Malian border March 28, 2007.  Water is  precious commodity here and most families end up drinking dirty water rather than walk the miles it takes to get to the well. Ami Vitale
    _DSC1995.jpg
  • Villagers of Zigberi get water from the only pump well that offers clean water for miles in a remote part of Burkina Faso in the desert region near the Malian border March 28, 2007.  Water is  precious commodity here and most families end up drinking dirty water rather than walk the miles it takes to get to the well. Ami Vitale
    _DSC1902.jpg
  • Children carry water for their teacher, Ouedraoga Madi in Zigberi, in a remote part of Burkina Faso in the desert region near the Malian border March 24, 2007. The village had no school and after years of waiting the parents decided to build their own school, desperate to get an education for their children.  Female education in Burkina Faso and West Africa is particularly difficult given the demands placed on the women and girls in society to do all of the household work like pounding the millet, preparing food, getting wood and water which is sparce and often kilometers away.  Ami Vitale
    DSC_0092.jpg
  • Villagers of Zigberi get water from the only pump well that offers clean water for miles in a remote part of Burkina Faso in the desert region near the Malian border March 28, 2007.  Water is  precious commodity here and most families end up drinking dirty water rather than walk the miles it takes to get to the well. Ami Vitale
    _DSC2003.jpg
  • Villagers of Zigberi get water from the only pump well that offers clean water for miles in a remote part of Burkina Faso in the desert region near the Malian border March 28, 2007.  Water is  precious commodity here and most families end up drinking dirty water rather than walk the miles it takes to get to the well. Ami Vitale
    _DSC1857.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wreslting157.tif
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling156.tif
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling136.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling113.jpg
  • KASHMIR,INDIA, JULY 29:  A Kashmiri boy studying in a madrassa sits on top of a crumbling Moghul mosque and watches his classmates play cricket on a quiet afternoon in Srinagar, the Indian-held summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, July 29, 2003. Since the 15th century, the Himalayan kingdom of Kashmir was known for its beauty and serenity. Everyone from Mughal emperors to British colonialists fell in love with its physical beauty.  Since 1989, it has been a state under siege, with both India and Pakistan laying claim to it. Human rights organizations say more than 80,000 have died in the 13-year-old conflict. The Indian government says 40,000, but whatever the number, it has been mainly Kashmiri residents who have suffered as the two nuclear armed countries fight a proxy war.
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  • A boy sells toys on a bridge in central Srinigar in the Indian held state of Kashmir. Kashmir was once a tourist hot spot but since a militant movement began 12 years ago, the tourists have been replaced by soldiers. Despite the tension and constant threat of attacks most Kashmiri people manage to keep their dream of a peaceful future and a sense of humor.
    025.jpg
  • Hershel Aleshire (right) of Blair, West Virginia which is in the heart of the Appalacian mountains, sits outside his home with his friend, Carlos Gore and ?.. He is in the heart of America where mountaintop-removal mines are abundant. Mountaintop Removal is a method of surface mining that literally removes the tops of mountains to get to the coal seams beneath. It is the most profitable mining technique available because it is performed quickly, cheaply and comes with hefty economic benefits for the mining companies, most of which are located out of state. Many argue that they have brought wage-paying jobs and modern amenities to Appalachia, but others say they have only demolished an estimated 1.4 million acres of forested hills, buried an estimated 2,000 miles of streams, poisoned drinking water, and wiped whole towns from the map. The mountaintop-removal mine near Blair caused the population to fall from 700 in the 1990s to fewer than 50 today, according to the Blair Mountain Heritage Alliance. © Ami Vitale
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  • Monks eat breakfast and perform morning chores in a monastery near Trashi Yengtse October 14, 2005. (Ami Vitale)
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  • Monks eat breakfast and perform morning chores in a monastery near Trashi Yengtse October 14, 2005. (Ami Vitale)
    Bhutan047.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling169.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling143.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling110.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling021.jpg
  • SRINGAR,KASHMIR--MAY 1:  Kashmiri protesters fight with Indian security forces in the village of Sowtang in Budgam district, outside Srinagar, the Indian administered summer capital of Kashmir, May 1, 2003. Hundreds of Kashmiris were protesting the death of  a 17- year-old student, Javed Ahmad Magray, who was allegedly taken from his home in the night by Indian security and killed in cold blood.
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  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 19: Indian boys practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Gangawesh on March 19, 2006 in Kolhapur, India. In feudal times, wrestling matches were often fought to the death but over centuries, it was gradually modified to become one of the most popular sports in the region.  The wrestlers train with total devotion and intensity, through exercise, diet, self-control and celibacy. They have a rigorous schedule of waking up at 4am six times a week and they practice more than 6 hours every day.  They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts.
    Ami102.tif
  • Young Muslim boys pose inside the Jamia Masjid, or Grand Mosque, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan in Delhi, India December 17, 2001.  (Getty Images/ Ami Vitale)
    del108.jpg
  • KABUL,AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 29:  Afghan boys mimic Michael Jackson while they dance during an engagement ceremony, August 30, 2002 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Each Friday, every beauty salon is filled with  brides, the hotels are jammed with young couples and most streets are packed with streams of cars, blaring their horns as Afghans rush to get married after decades of war. (Photo by Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    kab120.jpg
  • Muslim boys stand inside the Jamia Masjid, or Grand Mosque, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan in Delhi, India December 17, 2001.  (Getty Images/ Ami Vitale)
    del109.jpg
  • Coptic christians bath in what they believe is holy water in a river in Barentu, Eritrea August 29, 2006. They believe that the water cured a blind boy over 40 years ago and so they come here to make offererings, bath and pray.     (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Surita Hernandez brings her children along with neighbors to swim in a river on the Moapa reservation outside Las Vegas, Nevada in July, 2012. They don't get to go outside as often as they like because of the poor air quality. In the photos are: Ayona Hernandez, (wearing glasses)13, Aaliya Hernandez , 16, (grey shirt in ponytail)Gyiel Hernandez, 7, (Small boy)  Surita Hernandez, (mother) 37, Zayda Hernandez, (black shirt) 14,  Edgar Perez, 16, Summer Marie Sunshine Nickrand, 14  and Ayasha Hernandez, 4 and on the Moapa reservation in Nevada. All of their family suffers from Asthma and though they can't prove it, believe its because of the coal plant next door. Her grandfather died in march because of cancer. The Sierra Club is working with the Moapa Band of Paiutes to transition NV Energy away from the Reid Gardner coal-fired power plant -- which sits only 45 miles from Las Vegas and a short walk from community housing at the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The Reid Gardner coal plant is literally spewing out tons of airborne pollutants such as mercury, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gases. This has resulted in substantial health impacts on the Moapa community, with a majority of tribal members reporting a sinus or respiratory ailment. Vernon Lee believes that the many people on the Moapa reservation suffering from health issues are because of the coal plant next door. Sierra Club is working with the Moapa Band of Paiutes to transition NV Energy away from the Reid Gardner coal-fired power plant -- which sits only 45 miles from Las Vegas and a short walk from community housing at the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The Reid Gardner coal plant is literally spewing out tons of airborne pollutants such as mercury, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gases. This has resulted in substantial health impacts on the Moapa community, with a majority of tribal members reporting a sinus or respiratory ailment.
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  • Surita Hernandez brings her children along with neighbors to swim in a river on the Moapa reservation outside Las Vegas, Nevada in July, 2012. They don't get to go outside as often as they like because of the poor air quality. In the photos are: Ayona Hernandez, (wearing glasses)13, Aaliya Hernandez , 16, (grey shirt in ponytail)Gyiel Hernandez, 7, (Small boy)  Surita Hernandez, (mother) 37, Zayda Hernandez, (black shirt) 14,  Edgar Perez, 16, Summer Marie Sunshine Nickrand, 14  and Ayasha Hernandez, 4 and on the Moapa reservation in Nevada. All of their family suffers from Asthma and though they can't prove it, believe its because of the coal plant next door. Her grandfather died in march because of cancer. The Sierra Club is working with the Moapa Band of Paiutes to transition NV Energy away from the Reid Gardner coal-fired power plant -- which sits only 45 miles from Las Vegas and a short walk from community housing at the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The Reid Gardner coal plant is literally spewing out tons of airborne pollutants such as mercury, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gases. This has resulted in substantial health impacts on the Moapa community, with a majority of tribal members reporting a sinus or respiratory ailment. Vernon Lee believes that the many people on the Moapa reservation suffering from health issues are because of the coal plant next door. Sierra Club is working with the Moapa Band of Paiutes to transition NV Energy away from the Reid Gardner coal-fired power plant -- which sits only 45 miles from Las Vegas and a short walk from community housing at the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The Reid Gardner coal plant is literally spewing out tons of airborne pollutants such as mercury, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gases. This has resulted in substantial health impacts on the Moapa community, with a majority of tribal members reporting a sinus or respiratory ailment.
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  • Summer Marie Sunshine Nickrand, 14  jumps in a river on the Moapa reservation outside Las Vegas, Nevada in July, 2012. They don't get to go outside as often as they like because of the poor air quality. In the photos are: Ayona Hernandez, (wearing glasses)13, Aaliya Hernandez , 16, (grey shirt in ponytail)Gyiel Hernandez, 7, (Small boy)  Surita Hernandez, (mother) 37, Zayda Hernandez, (black shirt) 14,  Edgar Perez, 16, Summer Marie Sunshine Nickrand, 14  and Ayasha Hernandez, 4 and on the Moapa reservation in Nevada. All of their family suffers from Asthma and though they can't prove it, believe its because of the coal plant next door. Her grandfather died in march because of cancer. The Sierra Club is working with the Moapa Band of Paiutes to transition NV Energy away from the Reid Gardner coal-fired power plant -- which sits only 45 miles from Las Vegas and a short walk from community housing at the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The Reid Gardner coal plant is literally spewing out tons of airborne pollutants such as mercury, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gases. This has resulted in substantial health impacts on the Moapa community, with a majority of tribal members reporting a sinus or respiratory ailment. Vernon Lee believes that the many people on the Moapa reservation suffering from health issues are because of the coal plant next door. Sierra Club is working with the Moapa Band of Paiutes to transition NV Energy away from the Reid Gardner coal-fired power plant -- which sits only 45 miles from Las Vegas and a short walk from community housing at the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The Reid Gardner coal plant is literally spewing out tons of airborne pollutants such as mercury, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gases. This has resulted in substantial health impacts on the Moapa community, with a majority of tribal members reporting a sinus or respiratory ailment.
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  • Surita Hernandez brings her children along with neighbors to swim in a river on the Moapa reservation outside Las Vegas, Nevada in July, 2012. They don't get to go outside as often as they like because of the poor air quality. In the photos are: Ayona Hernandez, (wearing glasses)13, Aaliya Hernandez , 16, (grey shirt in ponytail)Gyiel Hernandez, 7, (Small boy)  Surita Hernandez, (mother) 37, Zayda Hernandez, (black shirt) 14,  Edgar Perez, 16, Summer Marie Sunshine Nickrand, 14  and Ayasha Hernandez, 4 and on the Moapa reservation in Nevada. All of their family suffers from Asthma and though they can't prove it, believe its because of the coal plant next door. Her grandfather died in march because of cancer. The Sierra Club is working with the Moapa Band of Paiutes to transition NV Energy away from the Reid Gardner coal-fired power plant -- which sits only 45 miles from Las Vegas and a short walk from community housing at the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The Reid Gardner coal plant is literally spewing out tons of airborne pollutants such as mercury, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gases. This has resulted in substantial health impacts on the Moapa community, with a majority of tribal members reporting a sinus or respiratory ailment. Vernon Lee believes that the many people on the Moapa reservation suffering from health issues are because of the coal plant next door. Sierra Club is working with the Moapa Band of Paiutes to transition NV Energy away from the Reid Gardner coal-fired power plant -- which sits only 45 miles from Las Vegas and a short walk from community housing at the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The Reid Gardner coal plant is literally spewing out tons of airborne pollutants such as mercury, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gases. This has resulted in substantial health impacts on the Moapa community, with a majority of tribal members reporting a sinus or respiratory ailment.
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  • A Muslim Kashmiri woman sits inside a shop with her children where traditional Islamic veils are made in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian held Kashmir. The shadowy group, Lashkar-e-Jabbar, also known as Allah's Army sent a letter to a local newspaper saying that Muslim Kashmiri women must adhere to the dress code or face acid attacks. The leader of the group also wrote, "if our members see any boy or girl or any illegal couple doing acts of immortality they will be killed there and then".The same group claimed responsibility for two acid attacks on women in Srinagar last year.
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  • A child of a mahout, tries to touch an elephant that is used for tourists in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. A mahout is a person who drives an elephant.  Usually, a mahout starts as a boy in the 'family business' when he is assigned an elephant early in its life and they would be attached to each other throughout the elephant's life. The Indian Elephant  is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, and native to mainland Asia. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years. The species is pre-eminently threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation.
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  • Coptic christians bath in what they believe is holy water in a river in Barentu, Eritrea August 29, 2006. They believe that the water cured a blind boy over 40 years ago and so they come here to make offererings, bath and pray.     (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • A Muslim Kashmiri woman sits inside a shop with her children where traditional Islamic veils are made in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian held Kashmir. The shadowy group, Lashkar-e-Jabbar, also known as Allah's Army sent a letter to a local newspaper saying that Muslim Kashmiri women must adhere to the dress code or face acid attacks beginning on April 1, 2002. The leader of the group also wrote, "if our members see any boy or girl or any illegal couple doing acts of immortality they will be killed there and then".The same group claimed responisiblity for two acid attacks on women in Srinagar last year. Kashmir has been the center of the ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan since the region was partioned when the British left in 1947.
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  • JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - FEBRUARY 27:An Orthodox Jewish boy slips on the ice as he watches  the funeral for a rabbi in Jerusalem, Israel February 27, 2003.  Thousands of people gathered to take part in the funeral procession.  (Ami Vitale/Getty Images).
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  • JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - FEBRUARY 27:An Orthodox Jewish boy slips on the ice as he watches  the funeral for a rabbi in Jerusalem, Israel February 27, 2003.  Thousands of people gathered to take part in the funeral procession.  (Ami Vitale/Getty Images).
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  • KABUL,AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 29: Afghan street children scream as a boy in their school dressed up in a mask tries to scare them at the ASIANA school August 29, 2002 in Kabul Afghanistan.  The children were there for a Japanese music and dance program which concluded with 1000 musical instruments donated to the children.  (Photo by Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
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  • KABUL,AFGHANISTAN - SEPT. 11: An Afghan boy with polio is fitted for a leg brace that he will learn to walk with at an ICRC hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan September 11,2002. While Americans are remembering the attack on the World Trade Center  one year ago today, most Afghans are trying to forget the decades old war which killed more than a million people here in Afghanistan. (Photo by Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
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  • KABUL,AFGHANISTAN - SEPT. 10:  An Afghan woman and boy wait to buy bread at a subsidized price from a bakery run by widowed women set up to help vulnerable families in Kabul, Afghanistan September 10,2002. (Photo by Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
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  • A boy using a donkey to transport fish to the local markets is splashed by a motorbike on the coast of Mauritania where local fishermen struggle to compete with the huge tankers and trawlers used by the foreign fleets. West Africa has suffered massive overfishing by foreign fishing fleets, with local small fishing boats forced to fish further and further out to sea or to concentrate their activities in sensitive coastal areas.  In the last 45 years, foreign vessels,   caught an estimated 80 percent of the fish taken from West African waters. The coastal nations took home the remaining 20 percent. And their share may get smaller. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • An Indian boy stands inside a shop near Ahknoor in the Indian held state of Jammu and Kashmir, May 29, 2002. Indian and Pakistani troops continue to exchange heavy mortar, artillery and machine-gun fire along the line that divides Kashmir between them. India is pressing Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to crack down on the flow of Muslim militants from Pakistan into Kashmir.
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