Voluntary service related to Observation Homes and Juvenile Homes of Gujarat
Photographs on this page are not for sale.
Since 1996, I have been a volunteer member of an inquiry commission appointed by the Gujarat High Court to look into the welfare of children in state care. Along with the inquiries related to the administrative functioning of the Homes, a great deal of attention was paid to the physical and mental well-being of the children; their education, opportunities for self expressions, interactions with society at large and exposure to the outside world. The inquiry resulted in a series of detailed, illustrated reports, which were instrumental in greatly improving the lives of the children.
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I played an active role in all the aspects related to the commission's work. Being a photographer, my contribution was to also create a photo documentation of these children and their environment in eight such Homes. After several visits and personal interactions with the children, I came to be very close to them, and I tried to capture their world on film along with their moods, emotions, and interactions with others.
Such visual documentation had never taken place before, and my photographs were like a window into the lives of these children. For the first time, the judges, lawyers and others in high offices saw the actual conditions in which the girls and boys lived. Totally inadequate, unhygienic and absolutely meager facilities contrasted sharply with the still undaunted intelligence, innocence and enthusiasm of the children.
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I am happy to say that these images had their own impact in persuading the judges to assign strict orders and directions to relevant officials, implementing immediate improvements in the conditions at these Homes.
Through this experience, I have realized that we need more programs linking urban youth to responsible professionals. Doing so could give some of these otherwise neglected young people some mode of expression and a voice. The urban professionals could gain a compassionate outlook for and a deeper understanding of the lives of the unprivileged children. Only then could we hope to improve the quality of life for children in our society, and perhaps, reduce the number of these so-called delinquents.
Photographs on this page are not for sale.
