The Multiverse of Mumbai: Underprivileged students from Mumbai’s urban slums photograph the city as they see it

Salaam Bombay Foundation curates a special photography exhibition this Children’s Day

Mumbai: Visual stories told through photographs often give an interesting glimpse into the fabric of a city. But when these photographs are clicked by adolescents who belong to the marginalized pockets of society, the visuals have some very poignant narratives. This is what the audience at The Quorum, Mumbai will experience first-hand at the photography exhibition put together by the students of Salaam Bombay Foundation’s Media Academy. The exhibition had placed on 14^th November 2022 i.e., Children’s Day at The Quorum, Mumbai

The theme for the exhibition is the 'Multiverse of Mumbai' – an experimental showcase of the microcosms of contradictions and opportunities that define Maximum City, through the lens of adolescents living in the urban slums of Mumbai. The annual photography exhibition is put together by the Media Academy and is an ode to the outstanding talent of our students. Mentored by stalwarts, Girish and Hridgandha Mistry of The Shari Academy, the theme of this year’s exhibition reflects our student's exploratory journey inward, as they try to capture the nuances of economic, social, and even emotional contradictions that surround them.

At Salaam Bombay Foundation we work with at-risk adolescents from the urban slums of Mumbai and are often left astounded at the sheer raw talent that resides in the narrow gullies of our city. During training, we bear witness to just how passionate and persistent our students are in trying to break free of limitations and establish their will to prosper. Through the Media Academy, at Salaam Bombay Foundation, we facilitate training for students looking to take up Photography as their chosen profession, something they could never even dream of earlier. The Academy focuses on theoretical as well as experiential learning as this format can help in turning their dreams into reality. Some of our students have even gone on to bag scholarships worth lakhs of rupees with prestigious media institutes.

Speaking about the exhibition, Rajashree Kadam Vice President - Projects (Arts & Media), Salaam Bombay Foundation, said, “We are happy to provide our students with an incredible platform in partnership with The Quorum Mumbai - to showcase their exceptional talent. We are also very grateful to the Shari Academy for helping our students capture the essence of the theme so beautifully through their camerawork. As it is the first professional exhibition for our students, we hope they take back much learning from this exhibition and the journey that has been so far.”

About Salaam Bombay Foundation:

Salaam Bombay Foundation was started in 2002 to work with 12-to-18-year-old adolescent children growing up in Mumbai’s slums. These children live in extreme poverty and in “at risk” environments.

Many are undernourished and face the risk of substance abuse. They come from financially challenged homes and are pressured to drop out of secondary school and seek menial jobs to support their families.

Given these ground realities, Salaam Bombay Foundation has harnessed the ability of child-friendly, innovative educational tools to develop life skills and coping skills necessary to ensure that these adolescents develop into well-rounded personalities, who can make informed decisions about their health, education, and livelihood. Thus, ensuring that they can thrive with a bright future.

Through the different academies at Salaam Bombay Foundation, we work on the key areas under CSR Schedule VII - Preventive Health, Mental Wellbeing, Vocational Skills, Sports, Arts, and Media for the underprivileged adolescent from urban slums of India.

The Media Academy at Salaam Bombay Foundation:

The Media Academy at Salaam Bombay Foundation empowers underprivileged adolescents from the slums to become the next generation of journalists, photographers, and media professionals.

For underprivileged adolescents, learning more about media and how to produce and present content related to their own communities is a great way to practice new skills and make their voices heard. The youngsters not only learn vocational media skills but end up absorbing critical life skills such as confidence, resilience, communication, decision-making, and problem-solving.

Salaam Bombay Foundation’s Media Academy was established in 2010 and today, the Academy has worked with more than 2000 students. Each child is trained over a three-year period, in different media-related modules. The training follows a pre-determined curriculum and is based on a sustainable, scalable model.

The Media Academy collaborates with some of India’s biggest Media institutions and is seeking more partnerships to bridge the confidence and resource gap, to help India’s underprivileged adolescents thrive and not just survive.