Sunday, August 17, 2008
Sir, your photography is improving. Thanks to me:-D
Her father passed away last year and since then her mother has been struggling to make ends meet and save the family of 5 from penury. Whatever little she earns from the pan shop and by selling used clothes is just enough for their survival. And this is where our Freedom of Expression project steps in by - showing them a means of livelihood, empowering people with an inherent skill and thereby boost confidence.
Photograph by: Grace N-Ovung
Location: Kohima, Nagaland
Date: 06 July, 2008
"Before I came to the workshop, I thought that my life was really miserable. But after visiting villages to take pictures, I realise that there are people whose lives are worse than mine. I will take up a part time job and buy a digital camera.”
Throughout the workshop, Grace's favourite subject was to shoot old men and women. "I'd like to shoot their wrinkled faces and wizened hands. With the zoom lens, i can see them with much clarity."
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Who said sports photographers can only take stunning pictures?
Find below are some awesome pictures taken by F.O.E participants across five locations. Mind you, these are all amateur photographers and a majority of them got to hold the camera for the first time in their lives. Nonetheless, they shot the pictures with so much professionalism and it gives us immense pleasure to share them with you. Scroll down.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Yeh dosti hum nahi thodenge...PART II
Shout out to Freedom of Expression!
Naandi's initiative to train and empower people with picture taking skills is now paying off :-D
For, participants have started taking up photography seriously. 16-year-old Purna Chander Rao, is a case in point.
In July, 2008, exactly a month after undergoing the 6-day F.O.E training workshop, the super quick and super enthu boy from this remote village called Manjaguda, in Araku Valley, pooled in all his savings (Rs 6,000) to buy a new Nikon Digital Camera!!! Yup. He did. He persuaded Dharma Rao, program officer, Araku Organic Coffeee project, Naandi Foundation, to accompany him all the way to Visakhapatnam - five hours away from Araku - and assist him buy the best camera. In fact, Charitha Reddy, who traveled to Araku from Hyderabad as part of the training workshop, received calls from Purna, enquiring details if a digital camera can be purchased for Rs 5,000, names and models of cameras and companies and their whereabouts!
And lo and behold, Purna is now the official photographer for Naandi in Araku. His first major assignment was to shoot pictures of the first Annual General Body meeting of SAMTFMACS, the country's only tribal coffee cooperative set up under the aegis of Naandi, on o5 August, 2008.
What more. Purna is all prepared to set up a full-fledged photo studio in Araku and continue with his passion for photography as a source for livelihood.
And when we called him up to congratulate on his new possession (Nikon) and on his first assignment, he only had one question for us. "What is the cost of the camera on which we were trained?"
Surprised, Charitha, who was attending the call questioned: "But why? You just bought one!! Is it for someone else?"
Purna: "Nooo. It's for me. I want to buy another one for the studio."
Now, it's our turn to shout out to Purna. For his interest and passion. And for utilizing the traning programme so well.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Look who's singing....
We all heard of traits that a corporate CEO has - hands-on, down to earth, no attitude on his sleeve and blah, blah, blah... But how many of them will sit in the boardroom and actually sing to cheer up the team? Ok. While you start guessing, we have something to share with you (a sort of owner's pride - neighours envy :-D). Last week, we got our CEO and project heads singing to the beats of the sensational Kabhi Kabhi Aditi zindagi mein...
As the training workshops under the Freedom of Expression project came to an end, it was time to apprise teams and share with them experiences from the F.O.E's 45-day sojourn, give them a glimpse of what was achieved so far and get overall feedback on the project . Breath taking pictures shot by participants from 5 locations were shown using a power point presentation which ended with interesting behind-the-scenes pictures of participants experimenting with the camera, master photographer Rajendra Shaw and his team assisting participants, filmmaker Mita Bose and her crew following them everywhere.
And when the song Kabhi Kabhi...was played at the end of the presentation, it had everyone singing along cheerfully. And that has truly set the tone for us to continue with the next step of F.O.E to prepare the coffee table book.
Yeh dosti hum nahi thodenge.....
As someone said, there are no permanent friends and permanent enemies, but permanent interests. While we'll not get into a debate if there are no permanent friends and foes, what we certainly believe is that there are permanent interests. Always.
We are reminded of this each time when participants of the just-concluded Freedom of Expression project find a way to stay in touch with the team. Affectionate SMSs to Charita, who travelled to Nagaland, or phone calls to Sudha, who travelled to Sheopur, asking when they'll visit them again or to express their willingness to come all the way to Hyderabad and if there would be a phase II to F.O.E.
And Araku takes the cake, where two pariticpants have taken to photography seriously. So much so that, they are right now there in the field shooting pictures of coffee farmers. These are the pictures that will be used for the farmers ID cards, which Naandi will issue to coffee farmers shortly.
This is just the begining. With time, we hope, participants will get more such opportunities to take up photography more seriously and with a purpose. Sigh.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Meanwhile....
Well...this is not actress Juhi Chawla crooning a Bollywood song :-) These are locations, which the Freedom of Expression project travelled over the past 45 days training men and women, children and youth to take pictures.
Though we finished training - which is the crux of the project - we ain't stopping here and heaving a sigh of relief.
The teams - both photography and video crew - are going the whole hog - with the photography team sorting out pictures and preparing for the coffee table book, the filmmaker is busy editing the video footage.
In the following posts, you'll find interesting snippets from all the five locations, participants views and more. Do come back to read a new label - Behind the scenes - which will up on the blog shortly.
ISB hails F.O.E..
Location: ISB, Hyderabad Date: 23 May, 2008
http://www.isb.edu/media/UsrSiteNewsMgmt.aspx?Topicid=406
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Looking back...
Location: Nagaland, Date: 04 July, 2008
2 July 2008: FoE team lands in Dimapur. A team of 8 people with a baggage of 220 kgs. Rain was hammering down and the first thing that came to my mind was “what made us visit Nagaland is the weather". But we knew that our heart was in the right place and we were all on a journey full of ambition. And a journey once begun has no end.
It was a 2 hour drive to Kohima. One could see several species of ferns bushy on the roadside, filled with raindrops. Hundreds of invisible spiderwebs in the bushes lined in silver were now visible. Between rains a grub of white sun appeared and there would be a smile on all our faces. And suddenly an unending rain would break out.
We started the workshop in Viswema village, which is just an hours drive from Kohima. Here we trained women from the Angami tribe. I must admit that women from the hills are really fashionable. It was really nice to see the participants in their traditional outfits on the second day.
From day two onwards participants were in full swing. It just took them a day to get used to the digital camera. It was pouring, but none of us gave up.
Rainy season beetles flew by in many colours. Participants would run behind insects and butterflies to shoot the unmistakable silhouette bold against the wall. They would fight to get a picture of it before it vanished into the crack between the bottom of the wall and the floor.
Ramesh, assisting one of the participants
And last but not the least, Mr Shaw's team rocked. No amount of downpour stopped them. They would run behind the participants and hold umbrellas for them, cover cameras with shower caps and do everything possible to make their students experts in photography. And right behind them one would find the video team running, trying to capture every possible thing on the video camera.
Author: Charitha Reddy
Thursday, July 10, 2008
From Nagaland, with love...
Our participants were a group of Naga girls from different tribes with unusual (to us!) names like Sevi, Elzole (pronounced Azhore!), Asa and Enole, among others. A bright, giggly lot with exquisite complexions, they were lithe as mountain goats as they sped up and down the slippery slopes with their cameras while we struggled not to go sliding downhill unceremoniously.
In spite of torrential rain and the tortuous terrain, the cameras continued to click. The most commonplace sights took on a new dimension for these girls as they stopped passersby carrying firewood, women carrying rosy-cheeked babies on their backs, school children returning home (soaked to the skin) and even half a dozen ducks vainly trying to cross the road. The girls made all of them (except the ducks) pose for their cameras. The ducks still haven’t recovered from the trauma of being chased downhill, wings flapping wildly!
Sevi and Elzole (from the village of Viswema (pronounced Visema) welcomed us into their homes and recruited their family members to pose for photographs. Every home in Kohima, big and small, is surrounded by a profusion of flowers. For us urban animals, used to the sight of elaborate (and usually ugly) bouquets designed by florists, the riot of colours created by geraniums, begonias, sweet peas, exotic orchids, you name it, was an overwhelming sight just begging to be captured visually.
After Sevi played the perfect hostess, making tea for all of us, she let us loose into her familys’ bakery to capture the trays of bread being baked and the oven being emptied out. Having sated our creative urge, she then went up onto the terrace and simply reached out to pluck a whole lot of juicy plums off the tree in their garden for us to take back.
The girls from Viswema also went out of their way to give us a glimpse of their culture by dressing in traditional costumes and singing some lilting folk songs. By the end of the trip we realized that all Naga’s sing beautifully (well, the majority do).
After three days of dreary clouds and constant showers, the fourth day dawned bright and sunny. Then, one of the most awesome locations we covered was Khonoma village, which has been declared a ‘Green’ village. It is said to be the cleanest village in Nagaland. It also involved climbing (at the risk of precipitating a cardiac arrest) what felt like at least a hundred steps (I’m convinced it was more!), but when we finally reached the top, the breathtaking view made it all worthwhile. The slopes below us seemed to be covered with a series of green cascading rooftops. Beyond lay the bright green paddy fields and then the slopes opposite rose up again covered in vegetation so thick that it looked like giant broccoli.
We were fortunate to be guided by Mago who was home for the holidays from college in Nainital. Having lived there all his life, he had no qualms about marching us into people’s homes to shoot them weaving baskets, weaving shawls on hand looms, making rice beer (oh, the odour) and even took us to his house where he demonstrated spear-making. Our participants went into a frenzy, trying to shoot everything, every which way. There was often a tug-of-war to get possession of a still camera. Our video team tried to be as unobtrusive as possible, but it wasn’t easy while lugging a video camera, Dutch head and tripod with a combined weight of 38 kgs!
Another interesting location was Tophema village. The village was surrounded by trees laden with passion fruit, peaches, and oranges, to name a few. And had a museum and a model village that provided insights into the Naga lifestyle. It also had what looked like a long narrow boat with carved wooden (very heavy) instruments which were used to thump and bang a compelling rhythm on the surface of the boat. One could only hazard a guess as to the decibel levels created as the beat reverberated in the valley.
Finally, we got to cover the pineapple plantations. Rows of spiky lives stretched in front of us, some topped with the lovely red flowers and some with fully formed pineapples rearing their heads proudly. Once again our participants became over excited and slid up and down the slippery slopes (yes, the skies were opening up again) clicking away frantically.
The workshop culminated with all the girls getting together to sing a variety of songs, ranging from the state anthem to folk and gospel. Once again, we were convinced that all Nagas are good singers. And we all parted company, tired but satisfied with the results of the workshop. And the creation of another group of prospective photographers.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Notes from the filmmaker...
The venue for the workshop was a charming convent where the Nirmala sisters also allowed us to house the participants. The serenity of the convent provided the ideal environment for learning and facilitated a flow of creativity. Surrounded by lush orchards and colorful flower beds, our workshop participants blossomed.
As with our other locations, here too we had a tough time keeping up with a group of enthusiastic photographers-to-be. There was cute little Dombai who walked barefoot blithely along the railway tracks because her sandal strap had snapped, without batting an eyelid; and Somesh with his Naandi hat tilted rakishly on his head, looking for all the world like a miniature version of Clint Eastwood; and Rambabu in flowing saffron flapping out the side of a jeep. And all the others, specially the women in such vibrant colors that they looked like birds of paradise, as they looked at their own lives with new eyes.
For us, it was a revelation. So many pairs of untutored eyes captured their environment in such innovative ways. We hounded them with our video camera, trying to capture what they captured. But moving images do not freeze just that one moment in time as a still camera does. So we shall have to use freeze frames to match exactly that effect!
Our first outdoor location was the charming tribal village of Gondivalsa – Dombai’s home. The little red-tiled huts nestled on a slope surrounded by coffee plantations. Our workshop participants sped up and down the slopes frantically clicking away with wonder at all the sights that they’ve taken for granted all their lives. Nothing was spared. From the little kindergarten school to the vegetable patches; from the quaint little dwellings to the cattle coming home from pasture; from religious rituals to banish the evil eye to paddy being planted; from the tilling of land to the exhilarating Dhimsa dance in which most of the villagers participated. Most of this was achieved under gloomy overcast skies, or by dodging raindrops, often under the nearest thatched or tiled roof – on one occasion I even found myself sharing my shelter with a stray dog, a piglet and a fat brown hen and her seven chicks.
The shoot at the village could only be upstaged by the train ride from Tyada to Araku. Our budding photographers were totally overwhelmed by the experience. As the bright blue train sped up the slope, chugging through innumerable tunnels (there are 32 tunnels en route!) they shot up hill and down dale; they shot the other passengers, vendors, each other, the dark tunnels and even a traumatized chicken hiding under a seat! It was an exhilarating experience for them, and a stressful one for us as we tried to squeeze in our camera and tripod into the crowded compartment, tried to prevent all and sundry from crossing our frame at random and keep our balance to get some steady shots. But the breathtaking view and unique experience made up for it all.
Our participants entered the fray again the next day at a nearby weekly wholesale bazaar (haat). They shot jackfruit from every conceivable angle, very ripe jackfruit which our otherwise tolerant videographer Srinivas abhors, hence most of the video coverage was in long shots! Baskets of half ripe tomatoes suddenly assumed an intriguing quality as they were shot in tight close-ups; neatly packaged towering piles of leaves (to be made into disposable plates) were lined up to be captured digitally; the multiple hues of an array of vegetables; colorful trinkets; snacks and sweetmeats; and so much more. We even accompanied an enthusiastic group way up to the top of a mountain where they derived a great deal of pleasure from shooting a bunch of little kids perched high up on a jackfruit tree.
Dogged by persistent overcast skies and intermittent rain, we were never sure if we would maintain our schedules. Every dry hour was a bonus and the sun’s flirtatious glances from behind the clouds elicited cries of gratitude and random clicking of camera’s to make up for lost time! One such event was a shoot at a granite quarry, where the craggy, forbidding rock face often became one with the dark clouds.
Other locations included a waterfall way up on top of a mountain. Our participants scampered uphill like a herd of mountain goats, while we ‘city slickers’ huffed and puffed our way up. On the way down, we were caught in a thunder shower and reached our next destination – the Borra Caves – looking like a bunch of drowned rats. But the awesome caves made us forget our discomfort and we were all dry by the time we left (reluctantly).
Another visit to a weekly bazaar (different one) was even more exciting…it was bigger, louder and smellier – courtesy the innumerable stalls selling different varities of dried fish. Fortunately, photography is a purely visual medium. The images remain, the odour doesn’t.
Last but not least, mention must be made of Naandi’s Program Officer, Prakash, who co-ordinated our activities, cajoled all the right people and charmed his way through all the obstacles we faced. An entertainer to the core, he neither offers nor accepts the word ‘No’ – always with a smile on his face. Nothing is impossible as far as he’s concerned. Thank you, Prakash, you made it so easy for us.
Having blazed a trail through Araku, FoE now moves on to Nagaland. The journey continues…
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
We did it!
The prayer worked. No rains:)
Sunday, June 22, 2008
F.O.E halts at Araku
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Photo feeds...
Afternoon: Fill water. Walk. Fields. Tractor. Buffaloes. Seeds. Fertilizers. Manure. Plants. Crops.
Evening: Walk. Home. Sweep. Wash - self, utensils, clothes. Tea. Cook. Make bed.
Such was the routine for the 45-year-old Surinder Kaur, resident of Khot Bhai village, Gidderbaha Tehsil. Home. Children. Work...were the only elements for Kaur, who got married at a ripe age of 17 but unfortunately became a widow at 25. Racing against time and hope, it was a challenge to raise her children all by herself. Though they all are married and settled now, life is still very much the same for Surinder. Home. Fields. Work.
But, it was the Freedom of Expression project that brought back her yesteryears of fun and frolic. "Often, I felt I was getting old. I forgot how one can be cheerful. But its when I held the camera, i felt as though i was a 20-something bloke with full of life. F.O.E. redefined how one can be happy despite all the pressures and challenges one has to face. I will carry forward this spirit for the rest of my life."
Monday, June 16, 2008
Guiding light...
Photographer: Sukhdeep Singh
Location: Kot Bhai village, Gidderbaha Tehsil
Date: 11 June 2008
Bhangra, lassi, rotis, rasgoollas, men with colourful turbans, women in resplendent patialas...all conjure up images of Punjab. But what's also ubiquituous in this northern state is the tractor driven by men. Sukhdeep captured this defining picture that speaks volumes about the life and culture in villages.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Clickocracy....
Origin: Blogger-composed adjective to go with photography jargon. *geeee*
Time of origin: 4.52 pm IST
Place of origin: Bathinda, Punjab
Root of origin: Take a look at the photographer Shaw and his boys in the picture below, and you'll figure it out. Here you go.........
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Photographer: Charitha Reddy
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Balle balle Bathinda
The day of the workshop dawned. In walked a group of cheerful, smartly dressed individuals, ranging in age from about 16 to 45. The 45-year-old is a tall, energetic widow whose children live away, and she was all gung ho about learning something new, involving technology that was totally alien to her. A tough act to follow.
And dare we forget the vivacious ladies of the group? The vibrant colors of their flowing dupattas, kameezes and voluminous patiala salwars fluttered wildly in the breeze like all the flags of the United Nations, making them stand out against the stark white of the beautiful Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Sahib at Muktsar, and yet made them blend in smoothly with all the other women who came to worship there. We didn’t relish the thought of shadowing a group of women with our very conspicuous video camera only to discover they were the wrong ones!
Barely recovered from the Bhangra evening, we had to wake up at 4.30 this morning to drive off to the Damdama Sahib Gurdwara, one of the most revered places of worship for Sikhs everywhere. Though we couldn’t shoot inside, the exteriors provided enough inspiration for our workshop participants. And it was admittedly easier to keep track of them in the wide open spaces!
And so, the ‘action’ continues. But this too shall end. For now. And we shall move on to Araku Valley, with fond memories of Punjab. It’s been ‘Balle Balle’ all the way!
We are at a loss for words.....
So instead of scouting for right words, we bring you some breathtaking pictures (in the slideshow http://picasaweb.google.com/sunitha.natti/MasterpiecesFromSheopur ) that can blow you away. Take a look and gain free membership to join the just-formed AT A LOSS FOR WORDS club. *Siiigh*
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Chak de patte!!!!! F.O.E rocks Punjab
We reckon testing waters, becoz, it's the first location for the F.O.E team to rub shoulders with men and women from the community. We presume, [comparatively that is] it must have been a cakewalk for master photographer Shaw and his team to groom children in photography. It's a given that different strategies exist to teach children and grown-ups irrespective of what needs to be taught. But what do you do, when you have a combination of both children and grown-ups seeking to learn the same subject at the same time?
[Uggghhhh...complex right?]
Well, Shaw and his team have saved us from racking our brains to come up with a solution. For, they are already on Ground Zero and enjoying every minute of teaching a vibrant team of 3 children and 9 men and women. [And of course savouring lassi, makki-ka-roti, and sarson-ka-saag :-D:-D].
So, stay tuned for updates on F.O.E's Punjab sojourn.
Monday, June 9, 2008
"I realised it was time to pack my bags and move on...."
If you ask me as a trainer which session was the most exciting for the children at the Sheopur photography workshop, and expect me to say ‘shooting’ that would be incorrect.
While shooting did generate high excitement because of the rides, new places and the freedom to use the camera, it was the review of their photos that the children most eagerly looked forward to.
Every shoot was followed by a review: what worked, what didn’t and why. And despite being tired after the outing in the scorching sun, children were the first to assemble in the hall awaiting results of their efforts.
Enlarged photos were shown to them and the photographer will share what made him or her click that image, what worked out and what didn’t. Then the rest of the children will share their comments. Unlike adults children need no coaxing to comment on each others photos. They were forthright. And as the images were projected on to a screen one after the other, children's comments just followed:
‘She has cut off the top of the fort. She could have turned the camera to the vertical position to include it.’
‘The house is small. He should have gone closer, it would then be a better photo’
‘The people are too stiff, they could have been more at ease’
‘I like the reflection of the tree in the water, I too would like to try it’
And when an image appeared on the screen which almost everybody felt was a perfect picture and clapped for it, Prithiviraj Meena, Std IV, GPS Bijarpur, Sheopur, stood up and drew our attention to a subtler aspect:
‘Bahoot achcha hai lekin thoda soonsan hai’ [A perfect picture but looks a bit deserted]
I realised it was time for me to pack my bags and move on to the next workshop at Bhatinda, Punjab.
Author: Rajendra Shaw, a freelance photographer is training children, men and women through Naandi's Freedom of Expression project.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Overheard...
Overheard by the blog writer during luncheon conversation between Ankita and her group.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Happy World Enivronment Day....
Date: June 2nd, 2008 Location: Doob Kund, 60 kms away from Sheopur city
Take a two minutes to look at the picture. Exactly two minutes. 120-119-118-117-116....
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60-59-58-57-56-55...
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5-4-3-2-1-0. Okay stop now. And don't worry. We ain't inviting your thoughts this time :-((( sorry folks!!
What we want to share with you is how the thought-process of young children is shaping up when they are given a tool and a skill to express ideas.
Read the conversation between Manisha, one of the participants and Nisha who shot the picture at Doob Kund and you will figure out what we are talking about.
Nisha: "Wow! This place is picturesque. I'll go for a wide angle shot."
Manisha: "I bet you should stand right there. And don't zoom in. Just take a long shot."
Nisha [looks through the viewfinder]: "Oh! There's no headspace. Not all pillars are in the frame. I'll step back."
Takes few steps back .... but something catches her attention and she instantly changes her subject of focus.
Manisha: "What are you shooting? That looks like a broken piece of a wall or may be a pillar. Yeah. That's what it is."
Unperturbed, Nisha is busy arranging her frame (both camera's and her mind)
Manisha: "What on earth are you shooting????!!!!"
Nisha's camera answered: Click-Click-Click.
Manisha: "????!!! Whhhhaaatttt?"
Nisha's camera again: More clicks. Vertical. Horizontal. And some more clicks.
Manisha: "???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????Eeeehhhh!!!"
A little later, Nisha turned to explain: "Don't you think it's a wonderful design? It'll make for a good picture. And guess what? I have a great idea."
Manisha, who's furious: "To replicate the design on your clothes?"
Nisha: "No."
Manisha: "Get an imprint on your hand then???? Ridiculous."
Nisha: "Heck no!!"
Manisha: "Then whhhaaaat is it?"
Nisha: "It can make for a beautiful manhole cover."
Manisha: "????? Of all the things, a manhole cover? Are you crazy?????"
Nisha: "You are dumb. Just think of it. What we don't have right now are lids covering manholes. And that's why all the filth and garbage flows on to the roads and into the streets. When you have a nice design engraved on the lid, people might as well start using it. It'll control overflowing sewage."
Some noble thought, this!!!
Our blogger intelligence bureau reports:
Every manhole cover in Japan is engraved with designs that each town and city is famous for. For instance, Osaka, which is a port city, has lids with Osaka castle or designs depicting a boat and the like engraved on manhole covers. It's a common sight in Japan and perhaps this is one of the reasons why the country has clean and neat roads.
Manhole cover in Japan. Source: Sewage Works Association, Tokyo
Our verdict: Nisha, hailing from a remote village in Sheopur district, is blissfully unaware of this fact. But we are glad that Freedom of Expression as an initiative is surely firing up imagination of participants and is equipping them with a skill to make the world a better place to live.
And that's the way to go....
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
From the filmmaker....
Government schoolchildren in Hyderabad and Sheopur ranging in age between 8 and 13, guided by the team of photographers, were suddenly transported to another world. One where with a mere click of a camera they were given the freedom to express their interpretation of the world around them. Their imagination took flight, their sphere of knowledge suddenly included terms such as framing, color and composition, and like a group of whirling dervishes they took off. And we had to keep up with them while documenting their experiences on video.
How do you frame a child on video who’s chasing a butterfly digitally? How do you focus on a child in moving images who’s already clicked and vanished? Try panning the camera on a child who’s clicking stills on the fly – in the opposite direction! Try zooming in on a child who’s suddenly noticed a pigeon in the rafters of a church, leaving you with a big closeup of the back of a head.
These are the children that our video crew has chased through the narrow lanes around the Charminar, the imposing staircases at the Indian School of Business, the exquisite architecture of the Chowmahalla Palace, the colorful stalls at Shilparamam – all in Hyderabad. We then followed that up by trying to keep up with feet on virtual castors as they raced through the Sheopur Fort, darted through the melee of a rural mela, froze their impressions of home and family in a moment in time and clicked away with reverence in a Shiva temple.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Hide and seek....
Monday, June 2, 2008
Can I Have Some More?
'I want to take more photos.'
Sheopur is a small remote town surrounded by miles and miles of forests with scattered tribal hamlets in them.
It is the height of summer and the markets here are overflowing with mangoes. You just can't ignore them. The smell of ripe mangoes is heady.
Sheopur however is better known for a run-down but charming fort on the banks of the Chambal river.
And he is also learning that they have an amazing point of view on everything
Presently it is abuzz with two events: an annual fair and our photo workshop. The fair lights up the night sky and has the usual attractions: the giant wheel, the merry-go round, the candy floss, the chaats and the iced mango pulp.
The photo workshop, however, is a bit unusual for Sheopur. School children from government schools from surrounding villages have invaded its population. Wearing sun hats, holding water bottles and with a compact camera sling on their wrists the children are shooting everything in sight and wanting more. They are everywhere: the fort, the fair, the streets, the markets and the nearby villages. They are clicking away: photos of their schools, their homes, their streets and any thing that interests them. Nothing escapes their lens: the heaps of mangoes, the cracks on the fort walls, the giant wheel against the faint blue sky, the cow squatting on the street, the colourful motifs on the walls of their village homes, the goats and the pots and pans. They just want more of everything.
Watch this space for more.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Picture this
What possible good can come of this? I'm being asked this question by a lot of people. Sometimes I feel they'd accept it better if we had organised for a tailoring training session or even a handicrafts workshop. But digital cameras? How will communities use this skill in the long-term?
One year ago, we did a small experiment with a group of slum children and cameras. During a discussion on photographs I was asked to explain why I liked a particular picture. After I said my piece, the girl sitting next to me, turned around and said "you know, I'd have liked this picture better if the flower in the foreground took a little less space in the frame".
At that moment it just didn't matter that she came from a slum and I didn't or that she was 11 years old and I was older, or that her mother tongue was Urdu and mine was not - what mattered was that we were talking as two people interested in photography - talking as equals, each with a point of view derived from the skills we had acquired as amateur photographers, me from an institute and she from the photo workshop that was being run by Kathryn, a volunteer from the US.
For me that's when Freedom of Expression was born The F.O.E team in action
The spirit behind FoE has never been to create a link to earning a livelihood. If that happens, brilliant. But what its main intention is, is to be an equaliser. By making the camera accessible, by demystifying it, it becomes one less thing that’s a divide between us and them.
I have in the past enrolled myself in salsa classes, my friends are learning foreign languages, some have joined bird watchers clubs and others join up for treks - these decisions haven't always been made to enhance our professional or earning capacities. But personal, yes, definitely. They are new exciting skills to have and they make you say 'hey I didn't know I could do that, but I can!'.
They've opened our eyes to a lot experiences, made us feel more connected, enhanced our feeling of belonging to a world that does these things. And we are definitely the richer for it.
This is exactly what a digital camera is doing in the life of a child or a man or woman from a village. It's giving them an opportunity to experiment with something new, something exciting so they too can say 'hey, I can handle this!' and they can feel the power of achievement.
FoE is training children from slums in Hyderabad. Villages in Sheopur Madhya Pradesh (near the chambal valley), tribal farmers in in Araku valley who are growing organic coffee, men and women (from extremely patriarchal villages) in Punjab and women farmers and self-help group member in Nagaland.
None of them have ever held a camera in their hands because no one gave them a chance to, or even thought that this could be something they'd like.
We are hoping they do.
Alina
F.O.E halts at Sheopur
Yess! The Freedom of Expression team made it to Sheopur, despite all the logistical barriers such as flight and train delays caused by the Gujjars-in-Rajasthan-strike.
But sometimes it's worth taking the effort reaching a destination despite all the roadblocks. Like when you recieve a heartwarming welcome from sweet, sensitive little children.
One can be even more elated at the sight of children with an infectious ebullience and who are in an on-the-mark-get-set-go-mode holding steel plates with nimble hands containing the red tika and fresh flowers to welcome YOU! JUST YOU!
About the programme: Day 1 of the 6-day workshop went on well. All the 12 participants who will surely transform from photo enthusiasts into amateur photographers by the time you read the next blogpost are running short of words to describe their joy on being photographed and on getting an opportunity to photograph.
Now, back to the picture. While, master photographer Rajendra Shaw and the F.O.E team were excited about the grand welcome they recieved, for us, it looked if children were apparently preparing the ground for Shaw to pass on the baton!!? Or so it seemed. *Sigh*
P.S.: Wonder what Shaw's thought bubble was at the moment? Wait for the next post.
Until then, even you can think about it :-D
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thus spake the pigeons...
Location: Chowmahalla Palace, Charminar
Monday, May 26, 2008
Happy days!!!
The last 6 days (since this very blog and the project got kicked off) seem like the shortest in our life. Rather, we'd say, time flies like a piece of fruit! Yup!! More so, if you are a child seeing, holding and experimenting with the camera for the first time in life.
After having plenty of fun, laughter and learnings, it was time for the 16 children attending the Freedom of Expression programme in Hyderabad to bid adieu. Here's what they had to share at the end of the 6-day workshop.
M Vineetha, Std V: "I ate, drank and slept photography all 6 days. Will you teach us next summer too?"
U Gopinath, Std V: "I want to be a photographer. I know, I am going to be one."
B Venkatramana, Std V: "It was so thrilling to hold the camera and click pictures. This is the best time I ever had in my life."
Arshad, Std V: "I want to make films when I grow up."
Bhavani, Std V: "I never thought of taking so many pictures. Or holding the camera. I visited places that i never heard of."
Little wonder, it's a great learning indeed.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Through an artistic third eye...
Friday, May 23, 2008
Crowds don't bug photographers...
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
No kids stuff...
And guess what Akhil wants to capture through the lens? Monkeys!
While we were racking our brains identifying a location where we can get him the subject of his choice...Akhil, with a composure cool as a cucumber, gave us the clue.
"Teacher, why do i need real monkeys when my friends out here can pretend as good as simians!"
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Just born!
Freedom of Expression - a first-of-its-kind project initiated by Naandi - is a blissful marriage of both fun and funda. We are empowering underprivileged children, rural men and women across 5 locations in 4 states to express their hopes and aspirations, share glimpses of their lives and times through this alternative approach.
In the subsequent posts, you'll find loads of interesting experiences from the participants - who rarely had an opportunity to be photographed and who'd seldom clicked pictures so far in their lives.
Our current mood quotient: Excited!
So wait to hear more from us.
Until then...have fun.