Matt Rainey

Photojournalism: Tsunami: Grabbing at Life

K. Vijaykumar, who lives in a beachfront upper middle class neighborhood visits the slum dwellers behind his posh home in Chennai . He let 300 dwellers rush through a gate into his compound and stay there after the Tsunami hit Chennai. Now he returns to check on them and brings crackers. Within 30 seconds of arriving, he is swarmed by more than 50 people grabbing for the few handouts he has brought along. He says he is merely observing asian customs of bringing a small gift when visiting a friend's home with the crackers, but the mob-like behavior of the tsunami affected slum dwellers puts their observance of that custom into question
Grabbing at Life, Chennai, India


K. Vijaykumar, who lives in a beachfront upper middle class neighborhood visits the slum dwellers behind his posh home in Chennai . He let 300 dwellers rush through a gate into his compound and stay there after the Tsunami hit Chennai. Now he returns to check on them and brings crackers. Within 30 seconds of arriving, he is swarmed by more than 50 people grabbing for the few handouts he has brought along. He says he is merely observing asian customs of bringing a small gift when visiting a friend's home with the crackers, but the mob-like behavior of the tsunami affected slum dwellers puts their observance of that custom into question