I'm a 20 year old journalism student from Australia. I spent the first half of my life living overseas in South East Asia and have a strong passion for travel, story telling and equality between all human beings. I believe photography is a powerful tool that can be used to educate, inform and reveal the beauty in foreign cultures and traditions; as well as highlight the imperfections and inequalities present in the world.
It's rare for a day to go by where I will miss an opportunity to go on a walk with my camera. I'm intrigued by every person’s individual mystery, their story. I think listening to or learning about someone's story will lead to understanding, and in turn, acceptance.
The photos I took were on a university trip to a small town of Purushwadi, 5 hours east of Mumbai, accessible by train and jeep. The story of the young women in the village were was what captivated me the most, especially one girl, Sangita. The village is a metaphor for the changing india. Around 70% of Indians - roughly one tenth of humanity live in the countryside of rural India. The villagers, who earned on average under a dollar a day - were (without trying to sound cliche) - the happiest people I'd ever met. Their simple lifestyle though must adapt if they are to remain relevant to Indian society. The story of Sangita is the story of the rising educated woman, the move to the cities and most importantly, how her decisions, will affect the future of India.
