These Patna-Based Artists Did A Glamorous Photoshoot In Floodwaters. Tone Deaf Or Social Statement?
Fact: In yet another shocking case of the repercussions of climate change, more than 29 people have died so far due to the flooding in Bihar. Incessant rains in many regions have caused Ganga and other rivers to swell up. All urban amenities and services like train and power have been suffering. So have the people.
The severity of Bihar floods has, sadly, been lost in the noise of flooding in metro cities and false promises of rehabilitation. From trending hashtags to open letters written by celebrities, the country is irate about the destruction the 2019 monsoons have brought with then. Amongst that, we have a group of Patna-based photographers and one student making a lot of noise, that is turning out to be too loud for some people!
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A glamorous photoshoot by photographer Saurav Anuraj and NIFT student Aditi Singh has blown up on social media. The reason? It’s somewhat contradicting nature of showing a beautiful woman posing in floodwaters. The reasoning from the people behind the shoot is simple…the sheer stupidity of a major city suffering from this natural disaster and nobody talking about it. They hoped to attract the attention of people towards the plight of the state, albeit with somewhat of a unique approach!
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This photoshoot has garnered much praise, and criticism, from netizens. Some have called it a social statement being made, in order to showcase the awful situation in the state. Others have called it tone-deaf and insensitive. Some going as far as calling it a cheap publicity stunt. A big part of the support has come from the student community across social media, who understand the humour of the situation. Other, have settled for calling them stupid kids who are up to no good.
P.S., as a NIFT student myself, I get where the model Aditi is coming from. As students of this institution, we are constantly pushed to think out of the box. We bet the photos will get her much brownie points with jury professors, who are always looking for something different!
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The people behind the photoshoot have spoken up about the online bullying they faced for this. Tone-deaf or not, courtesy of this story, people are talking about the Bihar floods, albeit in a different light. Here’s what we think, black humour has always been used to speak about societal issues. So why do a group of young people have to be bullied for trying to make a statement out of their art? They aren’t mocking it, they are using absurd humour to shed light on an actual issue. Also, it is never okay to bully young people trying to express their individuality to the world. NEVER. PERIOD.
