The Dawn of Life is Light. This is an apt name for the photography exhibition held at Olcott Memorial High School, Besant Nagar on Sunday, April 18, 2010. The exhibition held between 4.30 and 8.30 pm was open to public.
A set of 16 students, all from class 9 captured images of the issues that affect the youth along with glimpses of nature, life in the Theosophical Society campus and people from the Besant Nagar area.
Emphasising the importance of youth and stirring the students to make a change in society, this program was a joint venture by the school, the Youth Parliament Foundation(Delhi) and UNESCO.
Shoba Narayana, the program coordinator said that the 16 students were short-listed basing on their interest in photography and with the grant provided, a three-month training course was organised by the teachers, members of the Chennai Trekking Club and photography clubs in Chennai.
Students explained about their brilliant photographs of serious issues they captures in the neighbourhood.
Murugan, a student, gave a good take on the evils of child labour and ration shops.
R. Kumaresan talked about his photo of a garbage dump in the locality. “There was a lot of garbage and even though there was a garbage truck nearby, there was no improvement. Animals were rummaging through the plastic and searching for food too” he said.
A. Karthi and D. Vignesh also took photos of the unhealthy environment around us.
“The way the kids are grasping ideas, their sharpness and their happiness with the camera really surprises you!” said Srivatsan of Chennai Photowalks, who volunteered to lead the students on a photowalk around the Besant Nagar area for this project.
After the visitors saw the photos, the students spoke about their pictures and the issues that meant a lot to them. The audience really admired their focus and patience and on the whole, this exhibit was an inspiring showcase of issues important to the next generation.
With the cameras now available with the school, more students will participate in the programme in future to capture and display many more photographs of issues concerning them.