FACES/PLACES: April 2012

Monday, 9 April 2012

Moving Beyond Labels

My active involvement with the LGBT movement in Mumbai has given me the chance to interact with the much misunderstood Hijra and Transgender Community. What happened with Famila in Bangalore, and much before that, to Brandon Teena in the U.S are just two cases of the undeserved violence, discrimination and taunts that they are subjected to.

However this photo essay is not written to induce some kind of sympathy for the Hijra and Transgender community in the reader; it is to redefine and celebrate beauty born from the soul.

How beautiful it is to transgress beyond labels of gender.

To achieve that state where you are both but neither.

To break out of what is customary and source strength from your individuality.

Gulabo

Harsha

Rashida

Sneha

Kashish

Neeta

Tamanna

The face I could't get enough of: Sanam

Her eyes: dying to tell her story to anyone who'll see.

She told me, she doesn't know how to smile.

Her real face: strong, confident and beautiful.

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Thursday, 5 April 2012

Chindi

When you've been in Bombay long enough and travel by the Local, you will see settlements near the station almost everywhere. I always wondered who these people were, where they came from, what they are doing here. I recently got a chance to go to one of these hundreds dotting the city.

This one is right outside the Wadala Road station in the Harbour Line. I used to pass it often while going to Chembur to meet my friends who study at TISS; and I always imagined myself going there and taking a few clicks.

This particular settlement, has residents who are engaged in the work called 'Chindi'. This involves vendors who go door to door exchanging utensils for old clothes. A vanishing trade in this era of fast fashion.

Most of them are migrants from the interiors of Maharashtra and adjoining states.

This city of dreams and dreamers, all willing to do whatever it takes to make lives of their children, better than what they had.

The crude metal fence that divides the Chindi Settlement in Vadala Road

There might not be a place for a toilets but there's always space for a mandir.

Shiva and his camera-shy little friend Jayit.

Finally get to see his pretty face.

Lakshmi: She takes clothes that are bought and collected from peoples houses, washes them, mends them and sells it off at the Chor Bazaar every friday in Bhidi Bazaar.

Lakshmi with her friend Kalyani, who runs a Mendu Vada business in the Slum every evening.

Chandrabhaga: I found her sitting and chatting it up with her freinds Lakshmi and Kalyani. She too did Chindi work before old age gave in. Now she spends hers days basking in the sun.

My DSLR managed to pique the interest of this fellow, who came to the door and gestured all his friends to 'come have a look' at me. He is Ganniya, a distortion of Ganesh. There are too many Ganeshs in the settlement. Hence, to differentiate.

Ganniya

While the good clothes are sold off at the Chor Bazaar, the smaller scraps or the ones that are beyond repair are cut into smaller shreds and supplied to factories, where they're used to keep the huge machines dry and clean. Everything has a value here - even an old worn out underwear.

Sandeep, who supplies the scraps of cloth to the factories.

The other Ganesh.

The bridge that is the entry to the Chindi Settlement.

Anjali and Reema doing their homework. these two girls come and sit down with their bags and stationery on the bridge every evening to study because they don't have electricity in their houses during the day. Even if they did, it would be a bit hard to concentrate in your studies when your family of six is in a 6x8 room.