NEXT UPDATE: T.B.C.
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Sometimes a picture has the power to turn fate around:
In May 2009, I began visiting the city of Bhopal, central India, to document the severe illnesses faced by children, as a result of poisonous drinking water - contaminated by the waste of Union Carbide, left behind after the '1984 Gas Tragedy'.
In a rundown house made of bare soil and cow dung, one such victim is Sachin, then 15, living with his family, and suffering from severe leg paralysis. On a fateful day, August 25, 2009, during one of my visits, heavy rain began to fall. One of Sachin's sisters, Poonam, then 6, was revelling in the rain, in front of her home, in adoration of the coming monsoon. |
I started taking pictures immediately. One frame from that propitious moment stands above all my other photographs: in May 2011, 'The Photographers Giving Back Awards', in Sweden, assigned me a 5000 US$ grant to implement a specifically designed plan, benefiting Poonam and her family in Bhopal - after noticing my image of the young girl. Born 'unlucky', with a sixth toe on the left foot, her parents superstitiously believed she brought misfortune into their lives.
Since then, I witnessed the passion that is moving Poonam and her family along, and how a single possibility for change has been able to spark in them such a vibrant enthusiasm for life.
Since then, I witnessed the passion that is moving Poonam and her family along, and how a single possibility for change has been able to spark in them such a vibrant enthusiasm for life.
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> Lastest: December 2015
> On your left is a recent Portfolio of my favourite images, as our young Indian friend and her family continue moving out of the poverty cycle, towards a fulfilling life of education, self-esteem and positive growth.
> A third update about Poonam has been published on The New York Times' Lens Blog in November 2014. Poonam and her sister Jyoti are both very committed students enrolled in Elementary Year 6 (out of 12 in 2015-16) in a cosy, private school near their newly built home. |
Educated women are respected in their communities, can find better jobs and are less likely to marry an abusive husband.
With the many tragedies caused by gender inequality happening in India, educating and empowering young girls is one of the most reliable and impactful ways of changing society from the bottom up. |
Your kind support will sponsor the schooling and skills development of Poonam, 15 in October 2017, and Jyoti, 16, covering substantial expenses that alone, I would not be able to sustain.
The funding will also partially assist their other siblings such as Ravi, 17 in 2017, Arti, 21, and Sachin, 23, their disabled eldest brother. |
> In the section 'The Approach', you can read more about the way I have spent the initial 5000 US$ - received from 'The Photographers Giving Back Awards', in Sweden, and destined solely for the well-being of Poonam and her family.