We are at a loss for words.....

If a picture is worth thousand words, we have reams to write about!!! But when we looked at the photographs shot by children in Sheopur, we were at a loss for words. Literally. We were so overwhelmed by the professionalism with which the participants took pictures. It's rather unbelievable that these are children who saw, touched and used the camera for the first time in their lives!

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*

Overheard...

Photographer: Ankita Chowhan, Class: Std IV, Government Primary School, Sheopur

Date: June 3rd, 2008, Location: Chambal River

"There's something very different about this picture. Something that's invisible to the common eye. Look closely, focus and then you can feel the movement of the objects plying on the bridge and objects living in the water. Buses, motorcycles, autorickshaws, fishes in the river they are all there.......Yes. They are there where they ideally should be.

Okay, before you start fretting why you can't see them, let me tell you that they are all invisible because....

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it's becoz....

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....mmmm.................I actually never shot them!!! *geeeee* I just wanted the bridge in isolation. And there it is, in its solitary splendour posing just for me."

Overheard by the blog writer during luncheon conversation between Ankita and her group.

Happy World Enivronment Day....

Photographer: Nisha Jangid, Class: Std V, Government Primary School, Sheopur
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....

Hide and seek....

Date: 2nd June, 2008

Place: Sheopur Fort, 3kms away from Sheopur city.

We all had descended on to the desolated Fort early in the morning with re-charged batteries and cameras ready. And yes! With turbo-charged spirits in tow :-D

Silently, we all settled down whereever we can. Few of us on trees, others on dilapidated structures and few others on the ground. With cameras in ready-mode we waited with bated breath for the subjects to come and pictures and stories we could share.

In the meantime, we shot the ruins of the fort. Later we quickly adjusted the focus of our cameras and waited patiently for some more time.

The excitement changed to hope and lasted for 15 minutes until somebody from behind blurted out: Ohhh yaaaaaarr! We forgot to tell the monkeys to be here today!!!! :-(((((

[Thoughts of Punam Sharma, Std V, Government Primary School, Lachoda, Sheopur block as told to the blog writer]

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