(Updated: August 4, 2012)
I kindly invite you to consider purchasing a print …
…to directly support Poonam and her two sibling’s long-term education until college, as well as socio-educational initiatives in Bhopal.
Poonam (L) is playing with her dog.
In this section I will regularly publish images and information about the three children’s future education.
A collection of Limited Edition Art Prints and Open Edition Prints, will fund their schooling until Year 12, and beyond to college.
I intend to portray their lives towards the publication of an extensive book, and possibly a documentary.
Jyoti, 9, (L) and her younger sister Poonam, 8, (R) are oiling their hair while getting ready for school.
Prints will also contribute to a number of socio-educational initiatives for the children living in Oriya Basti and in the other water-affected colonies of Bhopal.
- View a Portfolio showcasing 20 of my favourite images.
As I am able to further review and prepare my archive of images from Poonam’s family, the above gallery will be updated, and more images depicting their daily life in Bhopal will be available.
- Read more about the children’s current schooling and my approach.
Poonam, 8, her sister Jyoti, 9, and their brother Ravi, 10, (in 2011) are now enrolled in Year 2, a little late for their age, in a cozy private school five minutes walking distance from their newly built home, and where the head-teachers are a stern, intelligent and dedicated couple.
Poonam, 8, (L) Jyoti, 9, (C) and Ravi, 10, (R) are waiting for a lesson to start their first day in their new school.
After completing Year 5 in the very same school – which should happen by April 2015 - Neelam and I will consider whether it could be positive for them to enter a more challenging institution.
This will depend on their marks, and on whether the children will continue studying with commitment, and learning with passion. I hope you will enjoy exploring Poonam’s world with me.
Jyoti. 9, is waiting for the rain to stop while standing inside her newly built home in Bhopal, India. Copyright: Alex Masi
Requests for involvement, sponsorship offers, donations of any kind, as well as opinions and suggestions, will be met with genuine gratitude and commitment.
Write me if you wish to find out more.
Poonam Jatev is a lively 8-year-old girl from Bhopal, India. Born ‘unlucky’, with a tiny sixth toe on each foot, her father superstitiously believed she brought misfortune upon the entire family. She desires to become a teacher, like the ones who practice in her new school.
Poonam, 8, in Bhopal, India. Copyright: Alex Masi - ALL RIGHTS RESERVE
With a sweet cheeky smile and sometimes mischievous attitude, her wide shiny eyes reveal hope and trust for the future.
In collaboration with Neelam, my good friend and trusted translator living in Bhopal, I have followed the improvement of Poonam’s family over the past year.
I was gifted with the extraordinary chance of helping one of my subjects directly, but Poonam’s fairytale is far from over.
Visit after visit, I wish to witness her blossoming into a teenager, an emancipated woman, and later into a loving wife and mother, while also photographing the growth and improvements of her family as a whole.