CHENNAI: Over the last few years, rape, sexual assault and victim blaming have become a topic of discussion across the country and also around the world. With a staggering number of rape cases being filed every day, often the authorities and certain sections of society tend to blame the victim’s habits, clothing or social behaviour as the cause. Amid several movements centred around the issues of rape and consent, City Express caught up with Chennai-based photographer Ganesh Toasty, whose photo series Tanirika took social media by storm on Tuesday.
“The shoot aims to bring out a reality that exists, but which a lot of people are choosing to ignore. Rape can happen to anybody, and can be committed by anybody. The major part (around 45 days) of the time spent was just on research about all the reported cases, and talking to people who are working on this issue,” says Ganesh. After a lot of brainstorming, the story was developed and recorded in a medium he specialises in — photography.
So why is the story shot in a semi-rural setting? “A lot of rapes in rural areas go unreported. People think that rapes happen only in a city because of all the assumptions based on a woman’s attire. This misunderstanding needs to change,” he explains.
The story has a strong message on the physical and mental trauma of the victim. “It changes a person’s life. The hardest part is what happens to them afterwards and how the world sees them,” says Ganesh, pointing out to victim blaming.
With six characters, elaborate personalities, a sudden turn of events and a miraculous end that doesn’t often happen in reality, the story is a one-of-a-kind in the genre. “Since this is a very sensitive issue, not many photographers have touched the subject,” he says. “Being in the fashion industry, I work with a lot of women. I feel I have to get to the core of this inhuman act, and bring out the true message through my art form.”
Ganesh adds that his next project will be titled Tamsa, about a 14-year-old-girl who becomes pregnant, and the struggle she goes through.
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