Chandigarh: Three-day Photo Exhibition to Celebrate the Girl Child

A three-day photo exhibition was organised in Chandigarh, featuring works of over forty photojournalists from Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Amritsar. The photographs celebrated the girl-child and womanhood.

Forty photojournalists mount a three-day exhibition to celebrate the girl child... https://t.co/wLyd6pTjCz

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Organised by the Photojournalist Welfare Association(PJWA), the exhibition was under the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' initiative. It was inaugurated by Punjab Culture and Local Bodies Minister, Navjot Singh Sidhu, at the Punjab Kala Bhawan in Chandigarh on Saturday.

The photographs depicted numerous aspects of a woman's aspirations and life - the struggles she endures and the dreams she has. Frames ranged from a father saluting to his daughter at a parade to a mother's happiness after her's tops the exams. They celebrated women's victory and women's education.

However, a different side of the whole situation was also shown - the agony of a girl child, who is working as a labourer and the hardships many girls face because of poverty.

The Indian Express noted Akhilesh Kumar, the President of PJWA's words, “The life of a picture in a newspaper is only a day and there is not enough acknowledgement of a photograph and its significance. So, this exhibition strives to provide due credit to photojournalists, who even during their hectic schedules, take out time to capture the creative and emotional aspects of the surroundings, giving meaning and relevance to life. Also, because of space constraints, many pictures do not find a place in the newspapers. So, this is the platform where photojournalists can showcase their work.”

Appreciating the hard work of these photographers, Navjot Singh Sidhu said, and a local newspaper recorded,  “These photojournalists - the unsung heroes in the world of journalism provides real pictures of the society through their frames. Their work is a delight to watch when we see a woman or girl breaking the jinx or myth in the society to prove herself in the society.”

Another local newspaper, Yes Punjab, reported that as a part of the state government's initiative to empower women, 50% reservations will be given to women in local government bodies and the municipal corporations. He said that only the societies that provide equal opportunities for women in the social, political and economic front, deserve prosperity.

He has announced of rewarding the association with Rupees three lakh, from his discretionary quota. Satinder Satti, Chairman, Punjab Arts Council, Pankaj L Mohanty, President, Amateur Baseball Federation of India, budding photojournalists, students, artists and senior citizens were some of the many who visited the exhibition.

It will be concluded on July 10 with a seminar themed on Girl Child and felicitation of outstanding women journalists.

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Jagriti is an intern with SheThePeople.TV