As the media whips up a frenzy around Swachhta Diwas, I was reminded of this exhibition I had the honour to help mount as part of the Gujarat Gulberg Live Memorial, organised by Communalism Combat(CC) and Citizens for Justice and Peace(CJP) to mark the 10th Anniversary of the rioting in the state. This is a photo document clicked by Binita Desai and Chinar Shah of the Relief Camps setup in the aftermath of the riots for the Muslims, both victims of and displaced by the violence. One of the many camps they documented as many as 10 years after their institution rather ironically called Citizens Nagar (barely 30-40 kms from Ahmedabad) shows how the victims of the violence are continually being forced to live in conditions of squalor for the last 10-12 years. The camp setup at the foot of a land fill that receives Ahmedabads garbage, has absolutely no services and sanitation. The residents are continually exposed to toxic and dangerous garbage and noxious fumes. The children for paucity of space are forced to play on the garbage mound. Would urge the PM to consider the plight of these citizens who have been ignored by his state govt for more than a decade and probably continue to be so, before we may proceed to extolling the virtues of cleanliness across the length and breadth of this country, participating in photo ops where one is seen mopping the odd bunch of leaves gathered in the garden. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this, CC and CJP and continually being at the forefront of this struggle.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 10:46:29 +0000
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