In this day and age, it is a known fact that we have become digital islands. We have lost connection with people around us. Two Bengaluru-based artistes have quit their lucrative corporate jobs to re-discover the relationship with and understand the responsibility towards the larger human family that we are a part of.
Embarking on a journey across the country through an art project titled ‘Rest Of My Family’, documentary photographer and filmmaker Piyush Goswami and writer Akshatha Shetty, who are engineers by qualification, focus on highlighting social issues and human interest stories. The duo document the triumphs of the ordinary man despite all the hardships they face, and help these stories reach a larger audience. Piyush and Akshatha also extend support to the individuals and communities that they write about wherever necessary. “Through this project we wish to de-fragment our highly fragmented society in our own little way,” the duo said. “And, constantly remind ourselves and each other that we are one.”
The first leg of their project is the campaign #DriveForChange, where Piyush and Akshatha will drive through different regions of rural India for an entire year backed by a crowdfunding initiative. “It has been an incredible journey so far,” they said. “The Rest Of My Family is a project that will remain with us for the rest of our lives. It is our attempt to bring the expression and social impact we wished to achieve through our work a full circle. Personally, it is extremely satisfying to be doing what we wanted to do with our lives.”
The project came into existence as a result of a personal and spiritual journey, say Akshatha and Piyush. “We always felt that our work was incomplete. And, we needed to do more. We wanted to dedicate our lives to art and philosophy, and over time understand how we could bring these two mediums together. There began our venture into a project exploring social documentary photography and writing.”
Elaborating on the initiative, Akshatha says fundamentally, the project is all about human connection. “It is about understanding and accepting the fact that we are all an integral part of the human family and, coming to terms with the responsibilities that come with being part of it.”
Piyush adds: “For the past two to three years, we have been travelling extensively through rural India, understanding, experiencing and documenting social issues and human interest stories. The people we met, despite all the hardships they were going through, treated us like family. We were so overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion shown to us by these folks. To us, the people we were writing about were not merely names, faces or figures in statistics. They were family. We formed a strong connection with each and every one of them.”
We wrote about their struggles and issues, they explain. “And, over time, we realised that while we were satisfied to tell the world their stories, their lives were still the same. It made no difference to the struggles they faced. And, we couldn't just move on. We felt incomplete in our journey. So, rather than leaving it to someone else we took it upon ourselves to get them the necessary support they required.”
The pair point out that through this project, they are not only trying to raise awareness but also give a voice to the individuals and communities that they encounter. “We would like our readers to know that we also follow up our stories with whatever immediate support that can be extended to these people directly. So, if you are in a position to help an individual, a family or a community, you are more than welcome to get in touch with us.”
Big believers in the power of humanity and its ability to come together, Akshatha and Piyush have dedicated their lives completely to this project. “We have complete faith in what we are trying to do. We are quite certain that as long as our journey is honest and we stay true to our philosophy, we will be able to continue to do what we have been doing for the rest of our lives. We have come so far only through our dedication and sincerity, and support of the rest of our human family. And, we will let that decide our future.”
