The God of Niyamgiri

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

India | Friday, July 5, 2013 | 5 photos

In the 1980s, owning a Polaroid camera in Kabul was rare – an expensive gadget not readily available. But my mom had one and she’d bring it out on special occasions like our birthdays. I loved the simple camera for it was the first I’d held and because it let me see my pictures instantly.

When we came to India amidst the Afghan civil unrest, photographs were all we had to preserve our memories in an uncertain future. Capturing images became more than just a snapshot as I started to turn my lens on what I saw. It was my language to communicate to the outside world.

Through the viewfinder, I discovered how to engage with people from all walks of life. So when I traveled to the Niyamgiri hills and met one of India’s most isolated tribe, it were their faces that fascinated me. Being an outsider to their land, I could feel a sense of tension. It was my camera that helped me embed myself within their culture.

Photography has been my way of sharing stories few would’ve noticed otherwise. So far I’ve had no formal training, and this is where this scholarship comes in. Jason’s mentoring will help me hone my skills and boost more confidence to make photography a full-time profession.