Balika Mela Portraits by Gauri Gill (July 2, 2010) 
(13 votes, average: 4.15 out of 5)
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Introduction by Yumi Goto
Seven female photographers living and working in their own places, covering issues affecting their people, cultures, politics and dreams. These are seven female photographers whose work I keep my eyes on. Not only they are women, but they are working in their own space, trying to reach out, trying to raise awareness and interest outside of their community or country. Through the lens, they expose what they witness and share with the subject what they feel. Often their countries’ issues are misinterpreted or exaggerated by foreign media, journalists and photographers. These women are from Nepal, Iraq/Kurdistan, the Philippines, Palestine, Pakistan, India and Indonesia—all culturally difficult areas in which to live and work, for women and photographers.
Yumi Goto is an art and photo documentary project coordinator and curator. Her work has focused on the development of cultural exchanges that transcend borders through collaboration with local artists and NGOs in areas affected by conflict. Goto has worked as the project manager and research/development director on numerous documentary photography projects about social issues in Asia including HIV/AIDS in Cambodia, human rights in Aceh and refugee issues. She has produced the documentary slideshow presentations and exhibitions that NGOs widely use as direct advocacy tools throughout the region and in Japan.
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Our poll "A photo essay always needs a great written story" closed. 267 people voted, 28% agrees, 72% disagrees. 233 people answered our follow-up question "Are you a photographer?" 82% indicated they are, 18% said no. Initially, negative answers to question #1 were almost 100% as was the pecentage of photographers among respondants. Then, when the level of non-photographers started to rise, the percentage of people indicating good text is always essential started to rise too. This seems to indicate that non-photographers think that adding good text to your photo essays is essential. In my opinion: if you want non-photographers to dig your work, you know what to do...
I have photographed in rural Rajasthan for ten years now, in villages, homes and families that treated me as their own. Although I chose to work independently, over the years I developed a relationship with the NGO Urmul Setu Sansthan, in Lunkaransar town, where I knew I could always stay when I was passing through. In 2003 they organised a Balika Mela – or fair for girls, attended by almost fifteen hundred adolescent girls from 70 odd villages. The Mela had various stalls, performances, a Ferris wheel, games, magicians, puppet shows and competitions – just like any other small town mela – but this one was also organised around the theme of Panchayat elections, and the girls took part in a mock election in which they went through the whole process of electing Sarpanches and Ward Panches for the Gram Sabha.
At the Mela, I created a photo-stall for people to come in and have their portraits taken, and then buy at a subsidised rate. I had a few basic props and backdrops – whatever we could get from the local town on our limited budget, but it was fairly minimal, and since it’s dusty and out in the desert everything would keep getting blown around anyway. Many of the more interesting props – like the peacock and the paper hats, were brought in by the girls themselves. Individuals came in, friends and sisters came, girls came with their teachers, or their whole class, and later they received black and white silver gelatin prints. Some of the girls who posed for these pictures also went on to learn photography in the workshops that we started in May of that year, and two years later they documented the fair themselves.
Gauri Gill (1970) lives and works in New Delhi, India.
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