CHENNAI : In the movie Natchathiram Nagargiradhu when Iniyan praises the great view of the mountains and tea estates, the main character Rene mentions the book Red Tea by PH Daniel and reminds him that behind all the beauty is the hard work, pain, and exploitation of three generations. It is the same book that motivated Boomika, a Class 11 student of Coimbatore District Government Model School, to document the misty mornings at the tea estates capturing beauty and hardship, through her phone camera. While the book spoke about the life of the labourers during the British Raj and the double colonisation faced by the women workers, Boomika’s lens showed the persistent hardships, the isolation, and the daily struggles.
She said, “When I looked around, I realised that when most of the parents shed sweat to earn, my parents shed blood to eke out a living.” The year-long workshop for schoolchildren was curated by photographer M Palani Kumar and Muthamizh Kalai Vizhi through the Department of School Education of the Government of Tamil Nadu. The art form was taken to the schools through the Neelam Trust. Thus, the two-day long photo exhibition Unseen Perspectives featuring the photographs of students from Classes 9 to 12 at Lalit Kala Akademi shared the unheard stories of people in different districts of the state.
Beyond the lens
The welcoming photographs were a stack of betel leaves arranged in rounds. The series goes on to explore the lives of workers in the fields. They toil tirelessly under the sun, their laughter mingling with the rustle of leaves as they tend to the plants with love and devotion. Sreeja, a Class 11 student from Namakkal District Model School, also focuses on the process of making a betel leaf cutter. She documents her thatha Kulanthaivel who with deft hands and keen eyes transforms metal scraps into tools of precision, ready to harvest the bounty of the land.
She shared, “My grandfather learnt to make the betel leaf cutter during the lockdown from one of his friends. Now, he is the only person who does this work in our village.”
Seshathri, a Class 12 student from Thiruvallur Model School who aspires to study journalism, documented his mother Mala donning her work attire — a green uniform and a pair of sturdy gloves. She empties trash bins and scrubs away the stains of urban life. In the close-up shots, we see the telltale signs of her labour — the calloused feet and tired eyes. He said, “After my appa died two years ago, my mom has been solely taking care of us. She wakes up at 5 am, sells milk, and goes for sanitation duties. It has a lot of health risks. She gets skin rashes and faces other difficulties but still continues to go for the job.” Seshathri adds that he wants to document the lives of more sanitation workers and the issues they face.
In Hari Prasad’s photographs, the life and happenings at Praveena Ladies Store, a tailoring shop in Namakkal, are highlighted. The Class 11 student from Namakkal District Model School shows how his parents Palaniammal and Lakshmanasamy run the shop. Together, they assemble their tools — scissors, measuring tapes, needles, and threads. Their hands move in arcs as they trace the outlines of patterns onto the fabric. With swift, confident strokes, they wield their scissors, cutting with precision to bring the colourful designs to life. “My mother has been doing the job for 28 years and my father has been doing it for the last 13 years. My sister and I are also involved in the work. When I was asked to click photos, I thought about documenting the tailoring shop because that is the place where I grew up. Through my pictures, I want to emphasise that every work is equal,” shared Hari who aspires to start a company of his own and become a CEO in future.
Lekha and Mohanapriya from Class 11, Thiruvallur Model School, pointed their lenses at a watchman doing his day job. They shared, “Usually people assume that watchmen are lazy and they don’t do their jobs properly without even looking at how difficult and isolating their job is. We have documented a watchman anna’s life from 7am to night. He is lonely throughout the day. He listens to the radio on his phone, observes the surroundings, eats his food alone, and then leaves.”
Personal stories
Explaining that the teachers shared more stories rather than focusing on the technicalities, Palani added, “This is the first place I had my exhibition. In the same place where my kids are having an exhibition is very emotional for me. Every story here is their own or the stories surrounding them. We can also learn a lot from their photographs.”
Apart from the laborious works documented, the pictures indicate the silliness in daily life including a cat dozing off, puppies drinking milk from a bowl, monkeys eating a fruit, cows smothering each other, a green plant peeping out of a group of stones, the evening sky, lane filled with golden lights, fallen yellow flowers amid dried brown leaves, a giant tree covering a school, paddy fields, farmers moving in the tractors, shepherds, giggles and conversations during a school meeting — adorn the walls of Lalit Kala Akademi. Cinematographer PC Sreeram, the chief guest, said, “When I see the photos of these students I can see a development that cannot be restricted. There is a lot of radiance and hope in these photos that transcends the viewers to a different place.” Director Pa Ranjith congratulated the students and Palani for his efforts. He said, “There is discrimination against children studying in government schools. People have notions that if you live in a slum or so, you have a dark life. I lived in a slum and had a colourful life. My school gave me a lot of confidence. I see this exhibition as a good avenue in capturing the vibrant lives to help change perspectives of people.”
The government officials from the school education department shared, “We are focussing on the children’s holistic development. Apart from studies, we want children to focus on theatre, photography, parai, silambam, storytelling, etc. There are master trainers educating trainers in different districts. We want every child to get equal opportunities.”