Making pictures tell the true story!

CHENNAI: Locked libraries, stinking toilets and dimly-lit, cramped classrooms were brought to light through pictures clicked by citizen journalists. This was done as part of Click Rights, a photo exhibition that featured pictures that portrayed poor infrastructure in city government schools and how children studying there were being denied their Right to Education.The photo exhibition, the theme of which was ‘Camera, Rights and Education’,  opened  on Saturday at the PVR Cinema lounge at the Ampa  Skywalk  at 3 pm and  was on till 7 pm. On Sunday, the exhibition was on at the Ashvita Coffee bar in RK Salai from  11 am to 7 pm.This initiative was by citizens, who are a part of the Volunteer Action Division of CRY (Child Rights and You).Diya Deb, Manager, Volunteer Action, CRY, said, “The idea is to tell a story through photographs. About 16 volunteers, belonging to diverse backgrounds and who were interested in photography, participated in this initiative. After an orientation on child’s rights and photography, they went about capturing the pathetic state of infrastructure in city schools through their cameras.” Nivedan  Mangalesh, a copy writer who volunteered to conduct the orientation classes, said, “There are a lot of young people out there who want to be a part of the change. So, we got in touch with people who had cameras and who are into photography. We gave them a child rights perspective and how to approach the subject.”Gavaskar Selvaraj, an IT professional and a volunteer whose photographs were a part of the exhibition, said, “It was a great learning experience for people like me. There were a lot of challenges like taking permission from school authorities, but we managed it. I hope these pictures start a debate among the public.” Suhasini, a college student volunteer, said, “It was very inspiring to be a part of this exercise.” Viewers can register their support for better infrastructure at schools, which CRY plans to present to the policymakers, both at the state and the centre. Simultaneously, CRY is also having a Click Rights exhibition in five other metropolitan cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore.