enchanted diaries

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Everyone does for themselves and is in a way selfish. Always thinking about lots of me’s like my desire, my pride, my property, my business, my happiness, my family, my children and most importantly myself. It is in our blood that even if we do something for others there is some intension.

Speaking about myself, if I have some money I would buy a new wear for myself this summer instead of giving it as a charity. If some of the money is left from the shopping, I will give some of coins to beggar on my way back to home. We are so busy to fulfill our unnecessary desires and needs that we have no time to think about others people prime and basic needs. Very mean and selfish indeed!

To become selfless, one needs an eye that could see the sufferings and pains of others and a good soul that would always encourage you to do some thing to reduce the suffering that you eyes scan now and then. Out of 100 people, there may be only two who could leave aside their prime desires and help others from inner heart and selflessly. Discarding the intention of getting anything in return.

From those two people, we can count one of them as Zana Briski.. She is a foreign photographer who had once been to Sonagachi, red light district of Calcutta. The Documentary “Born into Brothels” is based on the children, their lives and family of Sonagachi. In this place, every home is a brothel. Every mother is a prostitute and for girls it is in the tradition to be a prostitute. In that part, men have no work and women of each family are engaged in the selling of sex to support their family. Girls have never seen a school and even though boys go to school there is no such environment at their home where they can study peacefully. They are living such a life that is hard for us to imagine even in our dream but they are used to it that they feel nothing about it.

Zana Briski together with her colleague Ross Kauffman ventured that place, made friendship with some eight children of Prostitutes, and taught them how to play with cameras and to capture the events in the picture. Those children whom she taught were very talented. They followed the footsteps of Zana Brisky. They utilized what they learned in taking out candid pictures. In all those pictures, children have tried to capture their innocence, the lifestyle of people living in their community, the things which they encountered in everyday life, etc. They traced down each and every corner of Sonagachi with their cameras. The documentary also exposed the activities they did together like visiting different places, taking photographs and their unity. After coming in contact with Zana, the children realized what they want from their life and that was not to remain long in that field They appealed her to take them out of there. She also tried her best to search a good school to them in order to impart good education but unable to find one. As they were from the red light districts no one was ready to take them in. Finally after conducting HIV tests of all, they were accepted by one school. Among the children, Abhijit is the most talented and is able to give live to his picture. He went to Amsterdam as the representative of child-photographer from India. During the time of their admission to school and while making the passport of Abhijit she went through many hurdles and it seemed as if those two things were impossible. But she wouldn’t give up and finally both of the errands accomplished.
The things that surprises me were Zana Brisky herself who is bold, optimistic, stubborn, considerate, witty and a woman who never gives up easily. She helps all these kids even though she doesn’t know their language and as she herself has no source of income at that time. She does so much for these 8 eight kids whom she have no blood relation. And the language used by the mother in Sonagachi is really horrible. I prefer to be deaf instead of hearing them quarrel, complain and scold using such words.

Here, she has set an instance that for helping others you don’t need money, you don’t need to know their language or be their relative or be from their community, you just need to have a heart and guts to help them. If you haven’t watch the documentary “Born Into Brothels” by Zana Briski, you would not buy the things I have mentioned above. This is a must to be watched documentary by everyone. After watching it I have come appreciate my life. And I am lucky and fortunate to have a lifestyle which I am living at present. I can’t pray for more than this. May be you would also appreciate the documentary and your life too. So you better watch it.

-nawang.

Filed under: Enchanted diaries(My Posts), High endeavors, Success stories on March 30th, 2008