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Journalism of Courage
Thirteen shortlisted entries of the UNs Freedom from Violence photo competition highlight some small ways in which women are winning the fight.
In one photograph,a woman dressed in a burqa plays football in a field. In another,three women run in a park with bohemian joy. A third photograph is dominated by a row of young girls dressed in black as if characters from a Greek tragedy. Looking grim,they hold out their hands as if warning invaders about entering their space. Titled Bas – Stop Child and Human Trafficking ,this image is of young girls who have been rescued from the sex trade. Shot by Kiran Ambwani,it is a part of an exhibition titled Freedom from Violence Photo Exhibit thats being held at IHC.
I came in touch with these girls while I was shooting a documentary on them. My idea was to bring them out of the image of victimisation, says Ambwani. She adds that hundreds of girls from different parts of India,Nepal and Bangladesh are sold to the brothels in Indian cities everyday. Ambwani says,Many of the girls are barely 12 years old. They are locked up for days,starved,beaten,tortured and raped. They service up to 25 clients a day. The Rescue Foundation,a Mumbai-based NGO,works towards the rescue,rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of human trafficking and forced prostitution, she says.
One of the three winners of the competition was Tash McCarroll,whose shot of Dharavi in Mumbai shows a group of boys in school uniform holding a placard that reads,Teach your sons to respect women. The impact of the Delhi gang-rape caused both the local and international audiences to open their eyes and stand up for womens rights. Educating boys and men about these rights is essential. Every person deserves to be treated with respect, says McCarroll.
Animesh Malakar,a student of Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata,was visiting the famous Victoria Memorial in Kolkata when he noticed three young girls running in the field. If you see the picture,you can see a natural smile on their face. The enjoyment of freedom is clearly visible on their face and they are running around merrily. This,to me,depicts the real freedom of women. My picture shows how women want to live with complete freedom from violence,to live and play, he adds.
The photos are on display at Visual Arts Gallery,India Habitat Centre,till March 18. Contact: 24682001
W for Wonder
The Future We Want: A Safer World for Women is the outcome of a collaboration between artists and the United Nations Information Centre to celebrate International Womens Day. Curator Seema Pandey brought together five artists,who she met while studying at Jamia Milia Islamia,to make a point about identity and space. The painters have used acrylic water colours,while the sculptures have been made with thermacol and paper. Here are a few images from the show:
Ma by Sajal Patra. It shows a fragile,widowed female figure juxtaposed against the eight-armed goddess Durga. We worship the goddess whom we have never ever seen but we have become incapable of seeing a woman whom we know from birth to death as a person worthy of respect, says Patra.
Body a Temple by Somesh Singh. Through my sculptures,I have tried to give voice to the agonised body of the woman. Her pain pierces the heart but can it shake us of our apathy? asks the artist.
The exhibition is being held at the UN Lobby,Lodhi Estate,till March 31. Contact: 46532237
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