Chitra Katha, a photography exhibition currently running at the Hauz Khas Village in the Capital is not just another art show. Exhibiting 30 works of students who belong to photography clubs of Delhi University (DU) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), the show aims to raise money for a slum called Savda Ghevra in Delhi. Organised by Faiths Act, former British PM Tony Blair’s Faith Foundation, in association with What’s up Bharat?, a social organisation, the exhibition aspires to highlight urban displacement issues in Delhi.
“We are trying to get different communities involved in social action projects, and this show is one such attempt,” says Aparajita Bharti, one of the three Faiths Act fellows in India.
One of the main reasons for the foundation to pick Savda Ghevra was because many slum colonies from Khan Market, Lajpat Nagar and Nangla Machi were relocated here. “Chitra-Katha was born out of an attempt to throw light on the lives of the people in Ghevra,” says Bharti.
50 photographers from DU visited Savda Ghevra JJ Colony for various photo walks to click pictures. Each of the photographers was then asked to submit two entries. The foundation planned a competition where all the photographers got a chance to exhibit their work to ace photographer, Raghu Rai. Out of the 100 pictures, Rai has selected 28 for the show cum sale. Each photograph is on sale for a price of Rs 3,000. “All proceeds from the sale of these pictures will be used for maternal health projects in the Savda Ghevra JJ colony,” adds Bharti.
The show will also have workshops, panel discussions and documentary screenings as part of the show. “We didn’t want this show to be a just a space that has photographs put up from a slum. We wanted to make it more concrete. That’s how we incorporated these discussions and screenings,” says Dipanwita Das of What’s up Bharat. As a part of the same programme, there will also be a photography workshop by Raghu Rai on January 19 . It will be open for all.
{{/usCountry}}The show will also have workshops, panel discussions and documentary screenings as part of the show. “We didn’t want this show to be a just a space that has photographs put up from a slum. We wanted to make it more concrete. That’s how we incorporated these discussions and screenings,” says Dipanwita Das of What’s up Bharat. As a part of the same programme, there will also be a photography workshop by Raghu Rai on January 19 . It will be open for all.
{{/usCountry}}