Andanan (spelling) was sitting on the floor of what you might consider a garage, with piles of bundles of banana leaves behind him. He was taking them, one leaf at a time, and cutting them into pieces about 18 inches long, and throwing the unusable parts away. In India (Tamil Nadu, anyway), it is traditional to use such sections of a banana leaf as a plate. People eat with their hands, and when the diner is satisfied, the leaf is folded in half so it can be collected and thrown out. This ends up being ecologically sound, because rather than disposable plates, which create waste, or ceramic plates, which need to be washed, these leaves break down naturally – after offering nourishment to the animals that live on the streets of the city – cows, dogs, cats and even crows.
Andanan was delighted to have his picture taken, but made a point, while I was snapping photos, of looking very serious and not at the camera.
UPDATE 24 Feb: I went to see Andanan months later and brought him copies of his photos. He was as serious as ever.
