Devika N. is a I PU student pursuing humanities in Hebbal Government College. She lives in a house of nine members and her mother is a waste-picker. “I had only been taking pictures on my phone, so using a camera made me happy. We were taught a lot about how to take photos like finding good lighting, what makes a photo good or bad,” said Devika.
She has now found a new passion for photography and is teaching other children in her neighbourhood how to take photos with a camera.
Devika’s photos were part of the photobook The World As I See - From the Child Photographers Representing the Waste-Picker Community launched here on Tuesday.
Saamuhika Shakti, a collective-impact initiative by seven implementing organisations formed to enable informal waste-pickers in Bengaluru to lead more secure and dignified lives, conducted a two-day photojournalism workshop for children from marginalised communities. After the workshop, the children were provided with cameras to capture their world in their lenses. These photos have been compiled in a book and presented to the Department of Women and Child Development, Karnataka. The idea was to view the lives and priorities of the waste-picker community in the lens of the children.
During the launch, Priyanka Mary Francis, Director, Department of Women and Child Development, said the department is ready to support and see such good initiatives in the future too.
Jatin Mondar from Save the Children, which organised the programme, said photography proves to be a ray of hope for children to access their right to play, culture and arts.
Maria Bystedt, from the H&M foundation, talked about how crucial it is for the adults to have a look at these photographs and get involved and address the issues with them for the improvement of the community. “We are currently focusing on Bengaluru. If this model works, we intend to scale up,” she added.
Akshay Soni, Executive Director, Saamuhika Shakti, The/Nudge Institute, said, “These kids have transitioned from having their pictures taken of them, to taking pictures of the world. This is a great initiative to encourage the children of waste-pickers to follow their interests as other children do.”
