Ayeyarwady River is Myanmar’s largest, and it was on its sandbanks near Sagaing Bridge that Kyaw Zay Yar Lin found these children playing.
“I often go there, because it’s such a beautiful place,” Kyaw says. “I go to relax, enjoy the weather and the views, but that day I approached these five boys playing in the mud and asked permission to take their photo.
“The lives of the children who live by the riverbank are very different from the lives of those who live in the city,” he says. “They go to school in the morning and then to the riverbank afterwards. Their parents will wash clothes and the children will play football or roll around in the mud like this. Even though they don’t have smart technology or televisions in their lives, and for various reasons perhaps don’t feel able to go to sports fields and recreation areas, here they can be free.”
The photographer used his Redmi Note 10 Pro to take the photo, and he credits this with allowing for such spontaneity.
“Evening is the time for them to gather with friends,” he adds. “I took this photo in 2022 but even now their happiness is imprinted upon my mind.”
