Delhi’s slum children portray the city through photographs

(with Pix) New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Children living in the slums hereare showing what it is to live in the city through a series ofphotographs which they have clicked. ‘My City Through My Eyes’ is part of Habitat Photosphere,the year-long photography festival initiated by India HabitatCentre (IHC) in collaboration with Save the Children and isbeing displayed at the Mandi House Metro Station tillSeptember 30. Launched along with Save the Children’s new globalcampaign ‘Every Last Child’, the exhibition captures the cityas seen by children from the slums of Jahangirpuri,Sriniwaspuri and Madanpur Khadar (North and South East Delhi). It showcases some of the critical urban challenges, suchas lack of clean drinking water, risks emerging fromindustrial waste for resettlement colonies, status ofeducation and health and lack of safe playspaces for children. "The key theme of Photosphere festival is sustainabledevelopment and this exhibition ties in beautifully with it,"says Alka Pande, artistic director and curator of HabitatPhotosphere. "This exhibition highlights that the environmental hazardaffect everyone, however the most vulnerable are thosechildren and families who are living on the streets andunauthorised slums," she says. "Forums such as this exhibition highlight the creativeability of portraying reality as seen from the eyes of thechildren," says Avinash Kr Singh, Senior Manager, Delhi StateProgrammes, Save the Children. ‘Long and Lonely Walk’ is a photograph taken by childrenfrom Madanpur Khadar JJ colony and portrays a child walking ona pipe, leading to a pushta, an embankment of industrial wastefrom a thermal plant in South-East Delhi. ‘Behind The Smoke’ has been clicked by a childphotographer from Sriniwaspuri slum, who takes a photo of thesmoke that surrounds the area. According to WHO, Delhi is the most polluted city in theworld, reeling under severe particulate pollution and airtoxins. The growing air pollution adds to the maternal andchild health challenges for the most vulnerable. ‘Delhi The City of Dreams’ portrays a boy standing infront of a moving train, representing the fact that the citycontinues to attract migration. This often acts as a barrier for continuous education formany children from migrant families. ‘Salaam Dilli!’ is a photograph of a child in front of apile of garbage, taken by children from Sriniwaspuri slum tohighlight the need for a better waste disposal system. MOREPTI ANS TRSANS