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Each photo is evidence of individual battles and group triumphs

Crucial steps Sudhrak Olwe travels through India, photographing efforts of different NGOs.

The exhibition was part of a larger effort aimed at documenting the activities of NFI partners, namely NGOs, across the country.

Olwe travelled from Karnataka to Bihar to Orissa, capturing NGO interventions and successes.

General write-ups about the activities of each of the NGOs, accompanied the photos. But each photo was evidence of individual battles and group triumphs.

Olwe, recipient of the NFI Media Fellowship, travelled the country for a year to document the work of the NGOs. He recounts, “By the end, it was very hard. I was in Jharkhand, the temperature was 47 degrees. There was no electricity. You could neither sleep nor work. In the North-East, on the other hand, it was raining heavily! Gangtok was blocked with landslides.”

But despite the hardships, Olwe a photojournalist, persisted with his work, because of his belief in it. The results are a range of telling photos.

Two women stand in front of an innocuous whitewashed wall, which reads “Welcome to Mahilamilan”. However, their expression of quiet victory is the significance of the photo. It is significant because these women have built the toilets themselves.

It is a move, which takes them away from the prying eyes of public spaces, and assures them privacy and dignity.

Another evocative photo shows the work of Azad India Foundation, in one of the most backward areas of Bihar, in Kishangarh. The photo is of a smiling maulvi surrounded by beaming girls. The maulvi holds a booklet. This simple photograph shows how the AIF convinced the maulvi to allow them to conduct classes in his madrasa.

These classes are the first step towards female education and equality. To get this photo, Olwe had to take time and gain trust of the locals. He was warned of hostilities. Instead he found a school that was revolutionising the thoughts of adolescent girls.

These straightforward photos show how lives change through small but vital steps. Providing women with self-help groups empowers them by giving them control over their own finances.

Community radios provide a crucial platform to get local issues heard. Involving students in street theatre creates awareness and prompts movements.

While emphasising the works of communities, the exhibition also highlights individual efforts. Recipients of the C. Subramaniam Fellowship are singled out for their work for different communities. The photos of individuals like Yakub Khan and Biju B. Baruah are similar as both display a spirit of fight and fierce determination.

Olwe hopes that the photos can be made into a book, which could help these pioneering and committed NGOs gain both recognition and funds.

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