Monisha Ajgaonkar, a wedding photographer and founder of The Photo Diary in Mumbai, is also an LGBTQ activist. Taking a unique approach to honouring Pride month this year, she released a video titled Our own galaxy incorporating sign language into the plot. This video was made to raise awareness among both the deaf and LGBTQ communities, says the 33-year-old Monisha.
Monisha turned her passion for photography and videography into a profession when she was 20 years old. Her earlier works include L for Love which won an award at the 2018 DMA Asia ECHO Awards. In her previous collaboration with Mumbai’s Drag Queen, activist-artist Sushant Divgikr created a stunning coming-of-age photo series titled Blossom. This photo series was the first-ever nude shoot executed by Monisha and Sushant. She has also conceptualised various projects such as Love: No Boundaries, Unmasked, and L: Love Matters, to name a few.
Monisha elaborates, Our Own Galaxy is the story of a young lesbian couple in love, who speak to each other in sign language. “The story revolves around a couple spending their last day together. One of them is fascinated by the stars and moon and reminds her partner that even though they will be in different cities or countries, they will always be in touch because the moon is shared by both of them, and they will think of each other every time they look up at the sky. Apart from the sign language used in the film, expressions and movements also convey much more.”
