JAVA Mar-2019

mother had allowed me into her house. She said, “I
think I had so much trouble in my life and I’m just so
fed up with it. I need to puke this out.” She went in
the bathroom to throw up and I sat shaken, having
seen all this firsthand, and never took a picture.
The second time she went to the bathroom I said,
“I’m sorry to say this, but may I follow you?” And she
was like, “That’s why you’re here.” That’s saying a
lot. Whatever story I’m working on, whether someone
likes the media or not, I want to show them that
they’re beautiful, not just a face. I always want to
show the beauty and humanity.
In some of the toughest possible situations, too…
Yes, yes. And covering this immigration issue, it takes
a toll on your mind. You are hearing about atrocities –
people that are fleeing because of gang violence, and
women getting raped. I met two siblings coming to
the U.S. The brother was fourteen, and he was able
to stay. His sister was eighteen, so she got deported,
and she was raped after going back.
The mother called to tell the brother what happened,
and it was just too much to comprehend. People
fleeing with nothing, leaving everything they know. Poor
people, leaving their heart and soul, and they cannot go
back because they’re fleeing danger and violence.
Being from Mumbai, how has your own
immigration experience impacted the work
you’ve done?
I understand better than most, not because I relate
to their specific issues, but I understand the concept
and what it takes. I came here to study, so the
circumstances were different. Maybe the community
opens up because of my ethnicity. I’m not sure. A
lot of times I feel like a cat. I go and people are so
nice, and I do my work. Once you build the trust and
communication, you can do much better work.
It feels like we live in a pretty interesting time,
from a journalistic standpoint.
Yes, chaos. And I’m sorry to say it, but chaos creates
opportunities. It’s a tough time for journalists. Things
have gone so extreme on both sides, but I just want
to communicate that these are the facts, this is what
is happening.
Do people want to hear the facts, or do they just
want to hear what they want to hear?
We are living in the age of social media. Traditional
media is having a hard time keeping up. Everybody
wants to be first, without fact checking. I’d rather be
good than first. First is not my priority and neither are
the awards, though I do have bragging rights. I would
rather leave the awards for athletes because that’s
what they do. Everything is about competition, but
in journalism, you shouldn’t think about competing.
Journalists should focus on an effective way of
storytelling with the facts.
What do you think is going to happen in the
next decade in terms of how journalism exists?
We are living in an evolving society. Everything
changes, but good journalism and good storytelling
will always exist. You can see forty or fifty
photojournalists’ work in one place, but everybody
has a unique way of seeing. I have my own vision,
and nobody can take it away. I know some amazing
photographers who have done great work, even
pocket cameras. They are visionaries and poets of
storytelling. That’s what I aim to be.
JAVA 37
MAGAZINE