Valley’s women photographers give wings to their passion

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 20

In Valley, years of conflict have made many young men into successful photographers who are capturing the daily lives of people, telling the story of Wbloodshed, art, culture and history through visuals.

But like other fields, young women in the Valley are not lagging behind; they are now shoulder to shoulder, telling a different story of Kashmir.

Passion is all that matters

Sana Irshad Matto, 23, studied science in her graduation but always fiddled with the mobile camera and tried to take the best photographs. A resident of old city’s Saida Kadal, today when she leaves her home with a DSLR camera hung on her shoulder, she doesn’t care what the society thinks; all that matters is her passion.

“There is conflict in Kashmir so the situation is challenging both at the societal and political levels. We have more responsibility to tell a story,” says Sana, who is a freelancer and recently finished her postgraduation in convergent journalism from the Central University of Kashmir. Sana chose to study journalism to give wings to her dream of photography.

“I have worked on many aspects and one is women. I have been able to get access where it is not possible for men,” says Sana, adding that the profession comes with lot of challenges.

Gender no bender

A resident of Barbar Shah locality in the heart of the city, Durdana Bhat, 25, took up photography as a medium of exploration in 2014. “I have been focused on photography as a medium of documentation of various shades of our social fabric,” says Durdana, who is currently pursuing her degree from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, in peace and conflict studies.

“Professionally, I don’t believe there is any discrimination based on gender within the field which means I was never discriminated by the organisation that I was working with. But at the same time, there are some restrictions on girls who aspire to become photojournalists due to the present conflict in Kashmir,” she adds.

Durdana says it’s difficult for a photojournalist in Kashmir as sometimes they get targeted by both the sides if caught in a protest. “Gender is not the requirement. It is the will, the passion and the capability to strive no matter what that matters,” she says.

Durdana adds that in the 1990s when the situation in the Valley was volatile, it was difficult for women in Kashmir to think about taking up photography as a profession but the times have changed.

“There is a younger generation of women photographers who are working and studying to pursue their passions,” says Durdana who has also worked with a local magazine ‘Kashmir Life’.

Medium of protest

Masrat Jan, who is pursuing her graduation in journalism from the Central University of Kashmir, has been doing photography for a lesser time but it has opened a new door in her career.

After seeing her talent in photography, Masrat, a resident of Hawal in old city, got a DSLR camera as a gift from her brother which she is using now to show the day-to-day conflict in Kashmir.

“It is my way of protest and telling a story,” says Masrat, who sometimes faces problems in the field being a woman photographer.

“I was covering stone-throwing once and people shouted to take me home because they are not used to seeing women photographers,” she says, adding that she is now used to it and people are slowly accepting this change in society. Masrat says she has a long way to go and doesn’t pay attention to people’s comments.