Thanks for the troll, I was famous by default

I recently blogged about a story related to child abuse in Mumbai brothels, it is a sincere a story and brings out some harsh realities of our society. I personally went through lot of internal conflict before putting it on the blog, considering it was risky but if my stories don’t make you think what is the point of this tremendous reach. Last week the same story was featured on one of India’s popular youth networks, it was all fine till I started getting personally attacked on my social media channels for being politically involved, being a feminist, having a religious preference, they even disapproved my hairstyle :/

The story has an important lesson which should be shared, hiding from reality does not make it disappear. Sad, how some people refuse to see the bigger picture and continue thinking mediocre. 

Life Hack: Trolling by definition, is someone who creates conflict by posting messages that are controversial and personal, they usually attack in groups to upset your sanity.

It was iconic because Anushka Sharma (Virat Kohli), Honey Singh (Bipolar and Alcoholism) and Pooja Kochar (no reason) were trolled on the same day. It is amazing how people miss the point and take off on their own tangent. As an individual I refuse to respond to trolls, but as a brand 30ish stands for authentic story telling, my fight is to keep blogging real and, "this makes your social trolling irrelevant to me". I refuse to feed the troll, and encourage negativity.

  

Shakti - Dear Women, I apologise

As a woman, “I apologise for calling you beautiful before brave” the images actively manifest female embodiment and strength.You are beautiful not like the magazines, but because of the way you think, the way focus, the way you love and stand strong. Shakti is a visual narrative showcasing women being strong in their daily lives.

Life Hack: True Shakti is disruptive.

I have been working since 6 months on project ‘Shakti’, collecting stories of women that epitomise strength in their daily lives. Every photograph holds a story of her background and struggle. It has been very overwhelming for me as a photographer, every time a woman shared  her vulnerability and fears, Shakti grew stronger. I will be continuing to work on this series, and capture stories of women across the globe because some emotions are universal and beyond barriers. There’s no rational reason for me to explore such stories, but I feel very connected with women who need a voice. 

This story has been featured by #Homegrown as a tribute to women on International Women's Day

True Shakti is disruptive