Project Proposal-Rediscovering Rural India
Things don't have to be extraordinary to be beautiful. I believe a photograph should capture the aesthetic truth involved in that special and decisive moment. Photography can be a powerful medium to express pure thought and feeling in a single frame.
Living in the family where my parents worked as government officials and I had the privilege to see the working of a public office for the development of rural parts of my city. My mother is a Block Development Officer and looks after the administration and development of blocks and villages coming under the city of Rae Bareli (U.P).
My main interest in photography has always been documentary. It always fascinates me how every thing surrounding us revolves around a story. Story for a person watching it, but life for a person living it. I have always tired my best to reflect different moods of cities of India in my photograph. That was the reason that I decided to work on this project into deeper and decided to explore the villages of India from a new perspective.
I am sure that my experience and information regarding the issues related to planning and development of the blocks and villages of India will help me to get the right view for working on my project. I will be working mainly in northern part of India. I will follow my documentary style of working on subjects and area. This is a personal project for me as I always dreamt of working in villages of India and rediscovering it through my photography skills.
The rich diversity of our country, its dispersal in terms of its vast geographical landscape and the distance between the urban jungle and the rural hinterland are the touchstones that will bind the people to witness the change in this new world. I will work on different areas and issues, which will combine in a theme called "Rediscovering Rural India". My functional sectors will be administration problem faced by the people living in villages. Education and Gender Equity will be the main concern of my project. Spreading awareness for diseases like AIDS, Malaria, Polio, Tuberculosis and Cancer will be in my agenda. Covering on sanitation and medical facilities available to the people will be also top most priority for me. How new and old techniques of farming has changed the scenario for Indian farming. From soil to machineries which has been adapted so well by the rural areas will be interesting to look for. I will reach to the core of the reasons of growing unemployment and poverty in the Indian villages. What makes people still so unreachable to technologies and facilities provided by government? How the life of disabled people have been shaped in rural India. Government schemes and development plans will also be in my checklist.
It will be interesting to witness the mindset of the people on political scenario and its interpretation made by them. Closely observing the caste, religion and culture of the Indian village will surely open my eyes to a new thinking. Exploring the technological aspects along with an industrial growth in between the people will give an idea to understand the true definition of a developing nation.
I will travel to different cities of all over North India, from tier 1 cities to the interiors covering my hometown Rae Bareli (U.P) and other small villages in Uttar Pradesh to other states like Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and other states. Interacting with people for better understanding of the challenges they face in day to day life will be a key point. Nonetheless what we see as easy life of villages as compared to the city life can bring out the toughest struggle villagers face to keep themselves alive and cheers up to live as a family with love and happiness.
It will also be helpful for upcoming generation and people to know their country from its core. People will be bound to rethink about the issues mushrooming after the documentation. The main reason that made me to work on this project was to impart awareness in the media and society about the local and national development loopholes that may lead to bring some change in lives of the village people. I look forward to strengthen public concerns regarding the need to take a step ahead to support people centered development.
As it was my keen interest in drawing the attentions of people and media towards our rural India that had washout in this present world. Reporting on such issues was always in my mind and this fellowship will allow me to work with full concentration and dedication on the issues of my interest. I have been photographing villages from past 2 years and was in search of opportunity that will allow me to work in this direction.
The next phase of work will be in-depth research and will be focus on different issues. I would like to concentrate more on the problems that were left in the backyard of mainstream media. Being the part of print and online media organizations will allow me to spread the issues and problems faced by village people in the country to national and international level. I want to be a bridge between the media and society that will allow me to communicate with rest of nation and world. My effective communication will allow me the draw attentions of government and public bodies towards the sustainable development of the people for my country.
I surely believe in the process of documenting the project, I will rediscover many new things which will help me to work on the future project with new energy and passion.