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Photographs that map change and hope
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A photo by Sanjay Kumar
“Hands of Hope”, a photographic exhibition of women workers, frames women across the country in their daily struggles but ultimate triumphs. Conceived and photographed by Sanjay Kumar, Coordinator of SEWA Bharat, it catalogues the many initiatives of SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association). Mounted at Mati Ghar at the Indira Gandhi National Centre of the Arts, the exhibition corresponds with the release of the book “Hands of Hope, Visible Voices from the Sewa Movement.”
Kumar started his career with SEWA nine years ago by organising women vendors in Delhi and forming Self Help Groups. But the photos in this exhibition have been taken over the last year. Women are captured working at the loom, rolling agarbatis, preparing vermi-compost or rolling out papads. Kumar recounts that his hardest experience was in the Rann of Kutch. He says, “Those salt workers have nothing. They work through the day. The cells of their feet are dead because of the burning ground. Their houses are not even made of bricks. But of sacks. Of course they don’t have electricity. They instead have a torch light and maybe a radio.”
But these photos capture hope, not destitution. Kumar explains, “From all the interviews I did, I found that these women are poor but they still have courage and energy. They are not dependent on anyone else. And they all have hopes for their children.” He says that all the women assert the importance of education, believing that that alone will change the future. The exhibition, on till Tuesday, also shows how financial empowerment with SEWA’s initiative has helped these women. Documenting the successes of the SHGs is important, feels Kumar, as it shows that the poor are bankable.
N.N.
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