Disaster- Myths and Realities

Witnessing Disasters- through Anshu’s Lenses
This collection of photographs shot by Anshu Gupta, chronicles his journey as a witness to most disasters, in the last two decades. This journey started in 1991 when as a photography enthusiast studying at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Anshu bunked classes and went to Uttarakhand to witness the devastation of disasters, dignity issues of disaster-hit people and mismatch of resources and needs. He has since been among the first to reach a disaster-hit area anywhere in India with his team from Goonj, capturing varied disasters across different geographies through his lenses. Anshu has also used Goonj’s deep and long-term work in disaster relief and rehabilitation, to revisit the same spots through time lapse photography, chronicling the shifting landscape of a disaster hit geography and community. Over more than 2 decades, Anshu’s insights around disasters and disaster-hit people have thus come to define Goonj’s values, guiding principles, and strategies.
STABLE
CONVERSATION
OURS ONLY
ROTI
ALIVE
STABLE | स्थिर
OURS ONLY | हमारा ही
ROTI | रोटी
pain
PAIN | दर्द
ALIVE | जिंदा

Stories of DISASTER

BELIEF | यक़ीन

Bihar Floods, 2008

A man sets up shop on a flooded street after the 2008 Bihar floods.
In the aftermath of the floods, people found ways to keep going, setting up shop even as the water still lingered in the streets. This man’s resilience, his determination to rebuild in the face of such loss, is a testament to the human spirit’s ability to adapt and persevere.

Human-Made | मानव निर्मित

Gujarat Earthquake, 2001

The building where the crew of Lagaan stayed during filming, now reduced to ruins after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Read More

light | रौशनी

Kerala floods, 2018

Man washing candles from his affected shop after the Kerala Floods of 2018. Read More

line | लकीर

Flooded fields of Assam

Children sit in lines to eat the food that they’ve received as part of the relief work after the 2008 floods in Bihar. Read More

Elephant of Water | पानी का हाथी

Bihar Floods, 2008

In Bihar a portion of the petrol pump – the underground unit which is used to store petrol or diesel, becomes a vehicle during the floods. Read More

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