In Hyderabad, Padma Shri awardee Sudharak Olwe recently spoke about his urge to create a change in the mindset of people through his much acclaimed photo series highlighting the plight of the sweepers of Mumbai, the day-to-day life of prostitutes in Kamathipura, water scarcity, education, HIV/AIDS and the issue of malnutrition in rural India.
Says Sudharak, “I myself had a tough time trying to adjust from Engineering to Arts and finally taking up photography as a profession. For years I had been busy photographing the ‘glamorous high society’. But my constant visits around the by-lanes of India made me realise that there was another side to all the ‘riches’. The purpose of these photo series’ was to make everyone understand that if we collectively do not solve the problems, tomorrow one of our own may face life-threatening problems. We are used to a certain lifestyle and it’s not easy to think beyond it.”
“Industrialist Ratan Tata said about my photo series, ‘Conservancy workers are as much citizens as we are. Yet, we do not seem to be aware of their very existence and, least of all, the plight of their condition. This documentation has given me an opportunity to pledge my commitment to help change their living conditions’.”
He adds, “I make an effort to work in areas where no one would normally goes. All these issues are happening before your eyes. We are not out of this planet, but a part of this whole system. Everyone must take responsibility. If there is no fuel tomorrow, our children will have to walk. If there is no water, they will be fighting for it. There is a need to have collective responsibility.” “Sometime back, I conducted a workshop for 20 underprivileged children giving them an opportunity to know more about photography,” Sudharak concludes.
