The thought of blind children being photographers might sound bizarre to the common ears, but to Padmaja Sharma aka Gungun, the idea was inspiring, other than being challenging (of course).

On leap day (29^th February’16), I met this intriguing young woman, slightly elder to me, who has taken many extraordinary leaps of faith in her life – making blind children see the world around them through camera lenses, being just one of them.

She is a photographer, a film-maker, a theatre artist, a writer, and most of all, a traveler.

So much so, that she nests in the pahadi villages for almost half a year, every year.

So much so, that she took the bold step of dropping out of school after writing class tenth exams.

Before you think otherwise, let me also tell you that Gungun is excessively fond of studying. Then why is it that at the tender age of say about 15 or 16, she decided to part ways with her school?

“Because I wanted to travel! And because even though I love studying, I didn’t like the process through which studies are imparted. How can it be decided that one lakh students will wake up at the same time, will eat and play at the same time, will think alike, and will express their learnings in a similar fashion? I find the whole protocol very distressing.”

She answered my query, but my probing curiosity wasn’t fully satiated. I was still dumbfounded at the very nerve of that 15-year old back in time. Wasn’t she scared about her future?

“It took me a year to convince everybody of my decision. Everyone around me at that time was as baffled as you are right now. But I knew what I wanted at that point; I needed a break. And somehow I wasn’t scared because I believed that there isn’t just one fixated way of attaining something.”

Padmaja: You see, I did complete my senior secondary education, graduation, and I’m currently pursuing post-grad. But I never went back to school and I never went to college. I travelled (sometimes in groups, sometimes alone), I made acquaintances, I shared experiences – that’s how I studied. I related the topics in my syllabus with the environment around me, and whenever I had a doubt, I consulted friends and relatives who had knowledge of the field.

Me: I am fascinated, Padmaja! What are you majoring in?

Padmaja: English Lit.

Me: Hey! High five! Even I’m a lit student. M.A. Previous?

Padmaja: Yes. Exams kab hain yaar?

And we engaged in a little chit chat over our subject. At this point in time, only an M.A. Eng. Lit. student can understand the pain of being in absolute oblivion regarding the exam date-sheet. Grrrr!

Me: So, how did photography and film-making appear in your story?

 

Padmaja: My dad used to be very fond of photography in his younger days. So, I laid my hands on a very old camera of his and that’s where it all started. I also attended a few workshops which were organized for homeschoolers. Through them, I got in touch with my gurus Suman Sarkar and Himanshu Vyas who taught me a great deal.

Me: From the career point of view, did you not want to become something… maybe a professional film-maker, or a theatre artist, or photographer?

Padmaja: It never really comes in my mind to ‘become something’. I do things that make me happy. And I guess one of the reasons I was never scared about my choices is because I was enjoying whatever I was doing. So, things like validation, reward, money, never mattered much.

Me: I think these are the things that mostly drive any person… especially the latter.

Padmaja: When people say they are working for money, ask them what they will do with it. For instance, maybe someone would say ‘because I want to travel.’ So then, it is travel that is driving him, not money. Money is the strategy, travel is the goal.

Padmaja: … In my case, whenever I am in need of money for books, or say for travel to the mountains, I make a documentary for a client. And sometimes I ask them to get me the books in return, instead of paying me. Another thing that works well in my case is the fact that my personal expenses are frugal.

Me: Aah! That last sentence of yours is doing the trick for you, trust me. Btw, what’s with your obsession with the mountains?

Padamja: It’s just so peaceful. Living in some small pahadi village writing my diary, studying, doing my editing work, while being surrounded by the serene beauty of nature! What could be better than that?

Me: Well, I wouldn’t know. I haven’t been to the mountains. Ever. But hey! Did you just mention writing a diary? What do you write about?

Padmaja: Again, mostly it is about nature. I somehow don’t feel overwhelmed enough to write about other things. Even the column that I write for a Bhopal-based kids’ magazine – Eklavya, is mostly about birds, seasons, the sounds of nature, etc.

Me: You have a thing for kids, don’t you? I heard of the beautiful project you did with the blind kids. Tell me about that.

Padmaja: Umm, so it was 2 years ago that my friend, Chandan and I were watching this movie called ‘The Ship of Theseus’, which had a blind photographer in its story. We were so inspired, that we wanted to conduct a photography workshop with blind children. After contacting various schools and organizations for blind, and receiving a discouraging response from them, we finally got the permission from an NGO in Kolkata.

I listened keenly, and she narrated gleefully.

Padmaja: We started the sessions with 5 visually impaired children explaining them the concept of a photograph by making them touch and feel an empty frame. We handed them small auto-mode digital cameras and asked them to click their environment on the basis of the sounds they hear and things that they feel.

Back home, I wanted to exhibit their work, but I didn’t have enough funds. So, I wrote this letter to my friends seeking for monetary help.

 

 

Padmaja: I also made a documentary on the workshop we conducted with the kids…

Padmaja: … and the response was heart-warming. We were able to organize a 5-day exhibition (12^th feb – 16^th feb ’16) at JKK displaying the beautiful pictures clicked by the blind kids. Those kids attended the exhibition, too. And the brochure of the same has been made in English, Hindi and Braille, for their perusal.

 

Padmaja: You know Priya, what was the most beautiful thing about the exhibition? Everyone who visited had so many questions. Their curiosity to know about these kids and their work drove them.

Me: I can absolutely imagine. Your words, and your expressions, both tell me it must have been an overwhelming experience.

Me: What is your heart’s next desire? What are you going to attempt next?

Padmaja: I really want to learn to play the flute. And I also wish to travel to the north-eastern states of India. I have never been there.

My conversation with Padmaja ended there, and I got up to make an exit. I left her house, but the image of a little girl sitting by the waterfall scribbling in her journal in a remote pahadi village, did not leave me. 

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