To keep dolphins wild, is to keep dreams and aspirations alive. 

Meena Mangrati is a student from theasiamag.com photojournalism workshop for underprivileged girls in Nepal. In this photo essay, Meena reflects on her life as a young student in Kathmandu.

Between February and March 2011, with the support of The Patatas, I conducted a photography workshop with some 34 students in Nepal, most of which were from underprivileged backgrounds. During the month-long course, students kept a journal of the lessons they learnt and the reflections they experienced. This is an excerpt from the journal of one of my students, Trishakti Manav.

Between February and March 2011, with the support of The Patatas, I conducted a photography workshop with some 34 students in Nepal, most of which were from underprivileged backgrounds. During the month-long course, students kept a journal of the lessons they learnt and the reflections they experienced. This is an excerpt from the journal of one of my students, Yelissa Joshi.

Between February and March 2011, with the support of The Patatas, I conducted a photography workshop with some 34 students in Nepal, most of which were from underprivileged backgrounds. During the month-long course, students kept a journal of the lessons they learnt and the reflections they experienced. This is an excerpt from the journal of one of my students, Suman Shakya.

Between February and March 2011, with the support of The Patatas, I conducted a photography workshop with some 34 students in Nepal, most of which were from underprivileged backgrounds. During the month-long course, students kept a journal of the lessons they learnt and the reflections they experienced. This is an excerpt from the journal of one of my students, Anupama Shree Dhamala.

Between February and March 2011, with the support of The Patatas, I conducted a photography workshop with some 34 students in Nepal, most of which were from underprivileged backgrounds. During the month-long course, students kept a journal of the lessons they learnt and the reflections they experienced. This is an excerpt from the journal of one of my students, Meena Nepali.

Gaining hope, a new perspective, and becoming engaged with the world, through photography.

Kathmandu's Central Women's Prison isn't a place criminals do time. It's a place where grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters and children languish.

Between February and March 2011, with the support of The Patatas, I conducted a photography workshop with some 34 students in Nepal, most of which were from underprivileged backgrounds. During the month-long course, students kept a journal of the lessons they learnt and the reflections they experienced. The following comprises expcerpts from one of my students, Samanta Acharya.

"We" is me and the societies and communities I associate myself with.

The use of convenient, charasmatic mega fauna in school textbooks leaves students and makes a society, environmentally disassociated.

Do stories make the news, or does the news make the stories?

My second day in Nepal and I'm given the task of teaching young women some brief skills in public speaking.

As a photographer, we're always taking things away from people. Entering their home, we take their hospitality, their time, patience, and welcome. So it's a real privilege to be able to give something back once in awhile.

There's a saying that goes, "Everything I needed to learn about life, I learned from my cat." I always thought whoever said that was exaggerating.

A 24-year old aborigine from Arnhem straddles the differences, benefits and challenges of the "old" world and the new.

Knowing no borders, birds are the most well-travelled animals on this planet. Imagine the stories they could tell us if we just took a moment to listen.

The mission was to find dinner. I got a map from the hotel and became curious about the this ancient river that was so close to my hotel. So I made a detour.