CRY – Child Rights and You, along with RICOH India Limited, presented their labour of love – a photo-book filled with a series of still yet moving visuals clicked by children across two Metro cities – Kolkata and Delhi – based on the theme ‘Share My World’. The book was published at an event at the Oxford Book Store today.
The photo-book was the much-awaited result of ‘View Finder Programme’, an initiative jointly held by CRY volunteers and Ricoh India Limited, was an endeavour that engaged 10 children each from the two cities. The primary objective of the programme was to enable children to express themselves using the medium of photography and in the process of doing so, offer exposure to the children on a medium which can become their passion and profession.
Sidra Shaqil, the 13 year old shutterbug in the team said, “For me, the best part of the programme was that I got to meet new people, visit new places and learn something new.”
Md. Aquib, another young photographer said, “I wish to grow up and earn enough to buy a camera myself.”
According to Puja Marwaha, CEO CRY, “It was all about bringing out the hidden story-teller within the children – a gifted one who can turn the monochrome mundane reality into the magical vibgyor of imagination.”
“It was not just about clicking pictures, though. To them the workshops ushered in immense excitement and the sheer joy of learning something new, visiting new places, meeting new people, having new experiences, and the gradual seeding of courage to dream beyond what they thought was pre-destined for them,” she added.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. A. T Rajan, Managing Director and CEO, Ricoh India said, “View Finder programme is an endeavour by Ricoh India to nurture talent and enable a sense of purposefor the next generation. We are glad to witness self-worth and aspiration among these children during last six months– an encouragement for us to view a whole new world through their lens. In-line to our corporate tagline ‘Imagine. Change.’, Ricoh helps people harness the power of collective imagination to enjoy a more productive, fulfilling, and sustainable quality of life.”
A panel discussion was held at Oxford Bookstore to mark the release of the book. The panel included Jayant Kripalani, actor and writer; Monideepa Banerjee, journalist; Dr. Aniruddha Deb, Psychiatrist; Ms. Seema Sapru, Principal, Heritage School; Hitesh Sharma, Head of CSR, RICOH India Limited and Ms. Puja Marwaha, CEO, CRY. The panel discussed how unstructured spaces to think and express themselves are gradually vanishing among children. The View Finder Programme by CRY and RICOH Indian Limited, is an attempt to offer that space to children where through the medium of photography they express themselves.
This year the View Finder Programme has been extended to cover Mumbai and Bangalore, in addition to Delhi and Kolkata. According to CRY, it will reach out to around 80 children across the four Metro cities.
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