Tamil Nadu teens capture India's labourers in pictures

Recently, an exhibition titled "Unseen Perspectives" was held at the Egmore Museum in Chennai, India, focusing on the lives of Indian laborers. The photographs were taken by 40 students from Tamil Nadu government schools, who used their lenses to record the working conditions of their parents or other adults around them.

The photographs taken by these students showcase the various arduous jobs undertaken by approximately 400 million laborers in India, from quarry workers to textile workers, from welders to tailors, all reflecting the hard work of the working people. Through photography, the students allow more people to understand the lives of these laborers and the challenges they face.

Student Rashmitha T took a series of photos of her neighbors in her village who make traditional Indian cigarettes (beedis). She stated, "No one understands their work, and their untold stories need to be told." Many beedi workers are prone to lung diseases and tuberculosis because their working environment is dangerous. They earn only 250 rupees (approximately $2.90 USD) for every 1,000 cigarettes they roll.

In the Erode district, student Jayaraj S photographed his mother, Pazhaniammal, working in a brick kiln. The photo shows her pouring a mixture of clay and sand into molds, making bricks by hand. Jayaraj woke up at 2 a.m. to take this photo because his mother needs to start work in the middle of the night to avoid the afternoon sun. He said, "My mother often complains of headaches, leg pain, hip pain, and sometimes even faints."

In the Madurai district, student Gopika Lakshmi M photographed her father, Muthukrishnan, selling goods from an old van. Her father lost a kidney two years ago and needs dialysis twice a week. Despite his poor health, her father insists on driving to nearby villages to sell goods. Gopika said, "We don't have the luxury of resting at home." Despite her father's serious illness, in her eyes, her father "looks like a hero," persevering through a difficult daily life.

Student Keerthi documented the daily life of her mother, Muthulakshmi, who is the sole breadwinner of the family. Keerthi said, "Dad is not well, so Mom has to take care of the store and the family. She gets up at 4 a.m. and works until 11 p.m." Her photos depict her mother taking long bus rides to purchase goods for the store. She said, "I want to use photos to show everything a woman does to improve her children's lives."

Student Mukesh K spent four days documenting his father's work in a quarry. Mukesh said, "My father lives there and only comes home once a week." His father works from 3 a.m. to noon, takes a short break, and then works from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., earning only about 500 rupees a day. He said, "There are no beds or mattresses in their rooms. My father sleeps on empty cardboard boxes at the quarry. Last year, he suffered heatstroke from working in the hot sun."

These students, aged 13 to 17, are learning various art forms, including photography, as part of an initiative by the Tamil Nadu School Education Department. Muthamizh Kalaivizhi, head of the Overall Development Project for Tamil Nadu Government Schools and founder of the NGO Neelam Foundation, said, "Our idea is to cultivate students' sense of social responsibility. Documenting the lives of the working people around them is the beginning of social change."