This Tongue-In-Cheek Series Protests The Status Of Women In India

(viii) The value of dung is much more than even the famous “Kohinoor” diamond.

No, you didn’t read that wrong. There happens to be a document of a total of 61 pages dedicated solely to what started as the Bombay Animal Preservation Act, but has been amended repeatedly to centre its judgement around cows. I took a look at the headlines of some of the news articles that have come out ever since, with regards to the reactions of the people of India to the demand:

“RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat demands law that bans cow slaughter across India.”

“Ban on cattle slaughter evokes strong reactions.”

“Kerala beefs up sentiment against cattle slaughter ban; Mollywood celebrities demand end to food fascism.”

“Make Cow National Animal, Recommends Judge, Calling It ‘Voice Of My Soul’.”

“As Minister’s Comment Sparks Outrage, A New Video Of Attack By Cow Vigilantes.”

Under the shadow of ‘cow protection’ lies a much deeper religious battle that people around the country have made themselves a part of. Meanwhile, Indians are conveniently moving away from the much larger, more pressing gender battle that desperately needs to be addressed – they would much rather protest against cow slaughter than rapes and other cases of sexual assault against women. Yet again, Indians are diverting all their attention away from the ‘other gender’, but Sujatro Ghosh, a Kolkata-based independent photographer, is not.

“My project portrays the current socio-political scenario of India,” Ghosh tells Homegrown. “It is a collaborative movement between me and women...centred around women’s rights.”

For some time, Ghosh struggled to think of a form of protest against this issue that he is so passionate about that didn’t involve violence. “Physical fighting was never an option for me. The things happening around me made me think about what I could really do to come with a different kind of protest. I chose the one thing I understand most for my protest – photography, art,” he says.

Ghosh’s photo series consists of pictures of female subjects wearing latex cow masks, highlighting the absurdity with which Indian extremists focus on issues regarding bovines rather than gender equality and women. “The core issue depicted through my project isn’t a political one – it is that of gender,” Ghosh reiterates.

Ghosh chose Delhi to be the setting of his project, which he considers “the hub of everything; the most important city of India.” Some of his photographs are shot with the backdrop of iconic Indian monuments, such as the India Gate. With regards to the subjects that he chose to photograph, he started with his friends and acquaintances, but expanded as his project reached an increasing number of people via social media, which was when more women began expressing interest in being a part of the project.

He believes that art is the silent medium of protest, and he wanted to use it to create a project that crosses the barriers of religion, caste and creed. He doesn’t deny the obvious political aspect of his project, however – “Yes, this is a political project, but I don’t want to get lost in the political battle,” he says.

“The reception I have received so far for my project has been overwhelming, nationally and internationally,” according to Ghosh. Important figures like Shashi Tharoor have shared his project, and the attention his project is receiving is steadily increasing. “Of course, there have been negative responses as well, as there always should be. But that’s what keeps me going. We tend to avoid criticism, when we shouldn’t.”

Ghosh’s project is now a crowdfunded one, and he wishes to travel with it all over India. He has received 10% of the funds he requires to do so in just 4 days, and hopes to meet his aim to convert his photo series into a multimedia project soon. With projects such as Ghosh’s, we can only hope that our country turns its attention to the one issue we’ve been trying to fight for ages – the fight for gender equality.

We have attached some of the photographs from Ghosh’s series below, with his permission. You can contribute to his campaign here.