Two decades ago, a photographer from a foreign publication came to Tamil Nadu to document Dalit lives. Jaisingh Nageswaran, who knew the subject well, was his guide and interpreter. “I had just started out in photography and was excited to see how his work will turn out,” he recalls. When Jaisingh saw the published images, he found them rather “superficial”. “That is when I realised the best people to tell our stories were us, the insiders,” says Jaisingh. This thinking forms the core of photo exhibition Everydayness.
The event is organised as part of Vaanam Art Festival by Neelam Cultural Centre in view of Dalit History Month. Vaanam is a month-long celebration that so far featured film, theatre, and art festivals, apart from a concert at Puducherry by The Casteless Collective in tribute to Dalit Subbiah. A Dalit literary meet is set to take place in Madurai towards the end of the month as part of the Festival.
