Bengaluru: Urban poor put up exhibition on ecosystems services

Bellevision Media Network

Bengaluru, 02 Nov 2015: The two day photo exhibition titled, ‘Living at the margins of Bengaluru’s lakes: Untold stories of change, loss and hope,’ hosted by Azim Premji University was held at the Chaya Gallery, Rangoli Metro Art Centre here from Saturday October 31 to Sunday November 1. The exhibition, that attracted considerable interest with close to 850 visitors, was in collaboration betweenAzim Premji University, Bengaluru, and VU University, Amsterdam. The photo exhibition was also supported by funding from USAID and the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment.

 

People from all walks of life visited the gallery and were in awe of the photographs and the stories behind the same. ‘This is really an eye opener for people like us who live in the urban area. I was unaware of how lakes in the city were used by the city’s marginalized, and how severely they are impacted by the pollution of these lakes,’ said Priya Dileep, an IT professional in the city.

 

 

The idea to design a photography exhibition evolved from research looking at how residents of low-income settlements next to the city’s lakes depend on the ecological and environmental services provided by lakes, and how they are impacted by lake pollution and degradation. The exhibition featured Bhattarahalli, Vibhutipura, Puttenahalli (JP Nagar) and Madivala lakes. The research on which this exhibition was based was carried out between May and October 2015 by Marthe Derkzen, a visiting PhD student from VU University Amsterdam. The work has been done in collaboration with Harini Nagendra and Seema Mundoli from the Sustainability initiative at Azim Premji University in Bengaluru.

 

The bilingual (English and Kannada) two day exhibition had a series of 24 photographs on display, taken by Arati Kumar-Rao, Marthe Derkzen and Anoop Bhaskar, with accompanying text by Marthe Derkzen.A significant feature of the exhibition was the presence of residents from the lakes, individuals who were themselves the subjects of the photographs displayed. These individuals are the casualties of the rapid urban growth witnessed by the city, but whose voices often remain unheard.  The exhibition presented the untold stories of these people living at the margins of Bengaluru’s lakes, narrating their experiences of loss, hope and stories of change.

 

Harini Nagendra, faculty at the Azim Premji University said, ‘The research conducted by Marthe Derkzen helps us understand the voices of those who represent the often invisible face of development in Indian cities like Bengaluru. Fishermen, dhobis, cattle grazers, women who feed their families on soppu and other greens from the lake, people who use the polluted water from the lake to clean, bathe and feed their families, migrant children who play in the stinking waters of the lake: these stories represent the worst casualties of the pollution of our lakes. Yet despite their vulnerable situation, these people are also beacons of hope. Growing food in tiny home gardens, cooperating to catch fish and divide their catch equally amongst all, working together to help each other in times of need, they represent a way of life that we need to learn about, and to work together with: to dream of a better future, of a more inclusive and sustainable city.’