Look At The Photographs, That’s The Least One Can Do

When children are harmed, abused or neglected, the world gasps collectively.

When they are displaced or orphaned, there’s a combined sigh, because every child is a precious gift of life and a treasured icon of hope.

Sadly, that theory stands in stark contrast to the viral photograph of a girl child running from the rubble of a demolition drive, clutching onto her most prized possession- her schoolbooks.

And the reason was that her small shanty along with several others was razed and bulldozed by the civic authorities.

The girl in the photographs is a powerful symbol of innocent victims caught in a political crossfire of vengeance. Her books are but a haunting reminder of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’- a scheme that was introduced to address concerns of gender discrimination and women empowerment. Ironically, the overall picture represents a violent brand of retributive justice.

For the past few years, the Bulldozer remains indelibly imprinted in the collective memory of the entire nation because it has now become the latest Avatar of a destructive majoritarian politics. If anyone poses a threat and needs to be taught a lesson, the bulldozer enacts this discipline.

The machine is immediately weaponized and homes are shattered. This only leads to an already widening cleavage between two communities. That’s not all. This instigation of division through political symbols has also helped in glorifying the enforcers, thus presenting them as heroes.

Bulldozers have also permeated the national culture as popular toys. Young male supporters also line up in front of tattoo studios to get bulldozers inked on their skin. During political rallies, the machines that were once ubiquitous only on construction sites are now displayed as props.

But amidst all the bulldozing culture, there was some interim relief when the photograph of the ‘girl with the books’ shocked, shook and stirred the conscience of two judges- Justice AS Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan. They felt that the demolition drive was ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘inhuman’. And they ordered a 10 lakh compensation for all the homeowners who had approached the Supreme Court.

This isn’t the first time a photograph has caught the attention of people to mobilize them into action. A disturbingly haunting picture that immediately comes to mind is of a 9 year old Vietnamese girl running naked towards the village, because her clothes had caught fire when planes had bombed her village. This photo back then had become a powerful symbol of the war’s brutality and is also credited for ending the conflict.

Across the world, there were other pictures too that went viral. In 1985, even when social media wasn’t as active, a photo of a 13 year old Afghan girl Sharbat Gula became an iconic image of suffering after years of war in Afghanistan.

In 1994, there was the powerful imagery of a frail, famine stricken starving Sudanese girl, with a vulture in the background that served as a haunting reminder of death. The child had collapsed on her way to a feeding centre and this powerful imagery highlighted the devastating effects of poverty and suffering in the underdeveloped world.

It was taken by Kevin Carter- a journalist who documented the brutality of apartheid and other conflicts. The good news is that the child survived. The bad news is that the photograph, which also won the Pulitzer Prize, sparked a global debate about photojournalism and its ethical implications.

But the sad and the ugly news is that this global controversy took an emotional toll on Kevin and he committed suicide.

In 2015, a two year old Alan Kurdi was found lying face down on a Turkish beach. Amidst the gray backdrop, his lifeless body was dressed in a bright red shirt and little blue cargo shorts. He had drowned mere minutes into a dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. It immediately became a symbol of the plight of refugees fleeing the Syrian crisis. It inspired sand tributes and vigils across Australia and the world and it did change the way the government looked at them.

Despite all these dreary, depressing and colourless images, a vibrant and important cultural life began to emerge. As journalists continued to document the extraordinary resilience of the displaced, the artists defended their city, not with guns on the frontline but with culture and art. And the photographers, through their iconic pictures, breathed life into their subjects and unfolded the grim situation all across the world.

The courage, the humour and the creativity of some of the artists was incredibly inspiring. Pictures of children climbing on wrecked tanks and playing on the bombed sites was heartrending to watch. There were photos of displaced children in refugee camps, clinging on to their toys, running around the rubble playing hide and seek. All ordinary things for a child to do maybe, but what stood out stark was the black and gray backdrop, where a hint of the ever present danger continued. And still continues to exist.

All these images not only highlight the resilience of children in war zones but also hold a political significance. And amidst all the bad, the sad and the good, the ugly truth is that in all such man-made calamities and conflicts, it is always the kids who bear the impact of the trauma on an unconscionable scale. Not only does it have a devastating effect on their lives, it also kills them overnight; because such deep social scars are likely irreversible.

Many people might feel that the media should refrain from showing images of death and devastation. But I think it’s absolutely the most responsible thing a journalist can do, because an independent press is crucial to democracy. And all visceral stories are often best reported in moving words and still pictures. Not in sensationalism.

As for our role in society, we need to stand up and defend all the wrongs; with whatever tool of art that each of us possess; however mighty or frail it is.

The least we can do is to pay attention to photos that storm the internet, highlighting the casualty of innocence caught in life’s most bitter conflicts. Sitting securely in our protected homes, we cannot afford to look away from such iconic pictures. We simply cannot!