Winners of the Alfred Fried Photography Award 2017
Poonam's tale of hope
In 2009, I visited Bhopal, India, to document the illnesses of children, resulting from water poisoned by the corporation Union Carbide, also responsible for the 1984 Gas Tragedy. Living with his family in a broken home, one such victim is Sachin, now 22, suffering from paralysis. On a fateful day, his sister Poonam, then 6, was revelling in the monsoon rain to curb the heat. I started taking pictures. Two years on, in 2011, a frame from that moment was offered a prize by 'The Photographers Giving Back', to help Poonam, 14, and her family. Amid Bhopal’s tragedies, it fascinated me to witness the passion that is moving them along, and how a chance for change was able to spark such a vibrant enthusiasm for life.
Photos by Alex Masi
In 2009, I visited Bhopal, India, to document the illnesses of children, resulting from water poisoned by the corporation Union Carbide, also responsible for the 1984 Gas Tragedy. Living with his family in a broken home, one such victim is Sachin, now 22, suffering from paralysis. On a fateful day, his sister Poonam, then 6, was revelling in the monsoon rain to curb the heat. I started taking pictures. Two years on, in 2011, a frame from that moment was offered a prize by 'The Photographers Giving Back', to help Poonam, 14, and her family. Amid Bhopal’s tragedies, it fascinated me to witness the passion that is moving them along, and how a chance for change was able to spark such a vibrant enthusiasm for life.
Photos by Alex Masi
