The best time of day in Chennai is between the hours of about 3:00 and 5:00 p.m., when the city’s extensive network of primary and secondary schools get out. Many parents come pick up their kids on motorbikes, and others make their way home on their own, filling the streets with adorable uniformed younglings. In a city that can be so inhospitable, it’s beautiful to see so many young shoots still thriving.

Not everybody gets to go, of course; the streets are also full of the half-naked urchins that everybody thinks of when they think of India, whose futures may not be as bright. (Swear to god, the kids below came running over and jumped together for a photo when they saw I had a camera).