{"id":1231,"date":"2024-04-02T09:23:41","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T09:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/photographytrust.org\/new\/?page_id=1231"},"modified":"2024-04-02T10:57:12","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T10:57:12","slug":"crushing-evil-social-cycles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/photographytrust.org\/index.php\/crushing-evil-social-cycles\/","title":{"rendered":"Crushing Evil Social Cycles"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Crushing Evil Social Cycles<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPPT in association with Xavier’s Institue of Communication (XIC), Mumbai launched
the first Free Diploma Course in Photography for Children of Conservancy Workers.
The project aims to crush the decades old social cycle of these Manual
Scavangeing jobs being passed on from generation to generation.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Crushing Evil Social Cycles<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Diploma in Photography for Children of Conservancy Workers<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tConservancy Workers are employed by the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Around 40,000 of them work in the city during the early hours of the day cleaning filthy streets, gullies and gutters. They work in hell like conditions, inside sewers and in neck deep sewage. Their jobs come with no sense of Dignity or Pride and almost all of them without exception hate their jobs. Yet, these jobs have been passed down in the same families from generation to generation over the course of a century. Struck by illness, social problems and the resulting poverty, the entire community consisting mainly of Dalits – The lowest rung of the Indian Caste System has been neglected and relegated to the sidelines of the city\u2019s civil society.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis systematic and open oppression of a \u201clower caste\u201d has crippled their sense of self worth and most of them hope for a future where their children too take up the same job after they die so that they can keep the measly benefits the job provides. This has resulted in generations of their children stuck in an evil social cycle that keeps them bound to the same disgusting work. The PPT led by Photojournalist Sudharak Olwe with the support of a few conservancy workers conducted the first ever Photography Workshop for their children. This small intervention has resulted in a decade long journey which culminated with the first ever Diploma for Children of Conservancy Workers. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe PPT had been conducting workshops with the children since 2005, most of them were between the ages of 5-10 and a few older youth. The workshops were conducted by city based photographers Ravi Shekar, Atul Loke and Sudharak Olwe. These workshops conducted at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh were not only an learning experience for the children but also for the PPT team as we learnt so much about the community and their sufferings on a deeply personal level as the children shared stories of their daily lives through the camera we had given them. This being the early 2000\u2019s we used film cameras. The children were taken through the entire process of developing film and then were also introduced to digital cameras. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe first workshops were an attempt to give the children a look into the world of media. Fascinated by the camera and the workshops, we had a successful series of workshops resulting in increased no. Of participants after every workshop. The word had spread in the community. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn the next 10 years, PPT conducted regular workshops with the same children, inviting photographers and mentors to guide them. They were shooting pictures of the city and their lives and learning to talk about their issues. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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