Life through the lens

While India’s economy continues to boom, a large majority of citizens remain among some of the most impoverished in the world. Slum children from areas like Jahangirpuri, Sriniwaspuri and Madanpur Khadar in the capital picked up the camera to reveal conditions of their localities. Titled ‘My City Through My Eyes’ — as part of Habitat Photosphere, the yearlong photography festival initiated by India Habitat Centre, in collaboration with Save the Children foundation — the exhibition captures major environment issues from their perspective.

“The idea of the programme was to give a platform to the slum children to voice their concerns and ensure their voices are heard by the right organisation,” says Avinash Singh, senior manager, Delhi state programmes, Save the Children and adds, “Forums such as this exhibition not only serve this purpose but also highlight the creative ability of portraying reality as seen from the eyes of the children.”

There are around 20 photographs on display at the exhibition. Titled ‘Long and Lonely Walk’ is a photograph taken by children from Madanpur Khadar JJ colony portraying a child walking on a pipe, leading to a pushta, an embankment of industrial waste from a thermal plant in South-East Delhi whereas ‘Delhi The City of Dreams’ portrays a boy standing in front of a moving train, representing the issue of migration and its impact of education for many children from migrant families. Avinash shares, “We were very surprised by the number of children who showed interest and how they realised that through photography, they will be able to tell stories of things which no one would notice, and which need to be shown to the people outside. They had some surprising ideas like ‘Salaam Dilli!’ is a photograph of a child in front of a pile of garbage, taken by children from Sriniwaspuri slum in South Delhi to highlight the need for a better waste disposal system. Another work called ‘Girl with a Lamb’ has been clicked by children in a slum cluster in South Delhi showing a stark contrast of the girl’s reality and what exists beyond her. It is estimated that 24 per cent girls drop out of school from the marginalised groups every year for reasons related to the lack of basic sanitation.”

“The exhibition showcases some of the most critical urban challenges, such as lack of clean drinking water, risks emerging from industrial waste for resettlement colonies, status of education and health and lack of safe play spaces for children,” points out Avinash.

Adding to his point, Dr Alka Pande, artistic director and curator of Habitat Photosphere says, “The key theme of the exhibition was sustainable development and this exhibition ties in beautifully with it. It highlights that environmental hazard affects everyone, however the most vulnerable are children and families living on the streets and unauthorized slums.”

Going forward, Save the Children aims to give more such opportunities to children to amplify their voice on child rights issues.