Figure 1.--Most boys in Kerala went barefoot in the 1960s. These boys are from poor families working in paddies and coconut plantations. I am not sure how common going barefoot is now.

Going barefoot is especially common in the poorer developing countries where parents pften can not afford to buy even inexpensive footwear for their children. Climate is also a factor as these countries are primarily located in tropical areas where footwear are not needed for cold weather. Many children even go barefoot to school. It is especially common for younger children to go barefoot. One observer reports that most boys in Kerala went barefoot in the 1960s, especially from pooer families. He is not sure how common this is now. A reader writes, "I visited India during the last month. I was in Ranchi (Jharkhand State), Calcutta (West Bengal) and Bangalore (Karnataka). In rural areas and in suburbs most children (sometimes quite all) go barefoot. Also in the town many children go barefoot. I don't think that is only a poverty issue. Poorest boys go always barefoot, but not only them. I think that bare feet are not seen as a poverty signal and many boys chose to go without footwear. In the photos we can see a boys' group in a rural area near Bangalore, but also a family visiting de Queen Victoria Memorial in Calcutta." Another reader writes, "People in India go barefoot in all religions prayer places (Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist and Christian). It is also a respect signal. In Ranchi I saw high school students taking off the footwear entering in the teacher's office."