Reporting FACES for PARI was only in my peripheral vision for the longest time ever. I thought it was a great idea, spoke about it at every PARI Education session, and fully supported its genesis and practice.
But, I didn’t shoot a single face for FACES. Until 2021.
In 2021, I was browsing through the photos taken for my PARI stories. I saw faces of people flashing past whose details I had, who had generously given their time and knowledge to help me build my stories, but whose voices I could not carry for lack of space. Or if I had, it was a minimal reference. I was back roaming in the forests and hamlets of Chhindwara and Hoshangabad, Dhamtari and Narayanpur, Koraon and more. I hastily went through my notebooks and began piecing their information together. I gingerly sent Kanika – the face of FACES – an email asking her the dos and don’ts. She was really encouraging; honestly I felt guilty for not having done it earlier!
After that, on my next trip which was a trek in Uttarakhand, I wasted no time. On slow (walking) days I buttoned down passersby and requested their photos and other details. Accosting someone on their way up the mountain was always fruitful, they were happy to stop and shoot the breeze. I learnt about a nagging cough (“would you have a pill to help?”), serious discussions on a broken bridge that had not been repaired for a decade, the new road that was making life easier down in the village, and who was going wedding shopping down in the plains. I became better skilled and soon my subjects would say, “take my photos, write my name and get this message to the sarkar. ‘People who live on the edge of the forest should be recognised as forest dwellers and be compensated for losses caused by wild animals’.”
I like to think that I am helping PARI widen its locational stamp, one photo at a time.
