**Teens Use Photography to Spotlight India's Hardworking Labourers**

In an initiative aiming to promote social awareness, students from government schools document the daily lives and hardships of labourers, showcasing the diversity and significance of their work.

In a creative effort to unveil the stories of India's labourers, teenagers from Tamil Nadu have recently taken part in a photographic initiative. This project, titled "The Unseen Perspective," highlights the challenging lives of individuals working in various sectors, capturing compelling images of their daily struggles.

The exhibition, held at the Egmore Museum in Chennai, features images taken by 40 students from government-run schools, each documenting the lives of their own family members or local community adults. Through their lens, the students reveal the backbreaking realities faced by an estimated 400 million labourers in India, from weavers and welders to beedi rollers and brick makers.

Rashmitha T, a student, captured an evocative photograph of an elderly woman rolling beedis, traditional Indian cigarettes. She remarked on the invisibility of their work, stating, "No one knows about their work. Their untold stories need to be told." Beedi rollers endure hazardous working conditions that can lead to serious health issues, a fact highlighted through Rashmitha's images.

Similarly, Jayaraj S showcased his mother, Pazhaniammal, working at a brick kiln. Highlighting the physical toll of her job, he noted, "My mother frequently complains of headaches and leg pain." Each photograph brings to light not only individual narratives but also a larger societal issue that often goes unrecognized.

Gopika Lakshmi M documented her father Muthukrishnan, who continues to sell groceries despite undergoing dialysis. Her father’s relentless work ethic struck a chord with her, as she portrayed him as "a hero" maintaining his routine despite his health challenges.

The students faced initial difficulties in learning professional photography techniques, from shooting at night to adjusting exposure settings. However, their determination shined through their work, with students like Keerthi wanting to showcase the efforts of women like her mother who serve as family breadwinners. "I wanted to show through photographs what a woman does to improve her children's lives," Keerthi explained.

Mukesh K’s documentary-like approach involved spending four days capturing his father working at a quarry, revealing harsh living conditions that many labourers endure, such as sleeping on cardboard boxes and coping with extreme weather during work hours.

Launched by the Tamil Nadu School education department, this initiative aims to foster a sense of social responsibility among students. As Muthamizh Kalaivizhi, a program leader, indicated, understanding the lives of local workers is a crucial step toward social change. Through art and storytelling, these young photographers are not only elevating the narrative of hard-working individuals but also learning about their own place within the community and the larger societal framework.