Sisterhood. Togetherness. Belonging A Conversation With Sujata Khanna
– Prachi Venkataraman
The camera has been a vital way of bearing witness to world events. social documentary photography reinvents this tool to shed light on deeper social issues and is often subjective. sujata Khanna uses the camera not as a tool for documentation of the conditions confronted by individuals but of human resilience.
Sujata Khanna is a social documentary photographer based in Bangalore and New delhi, India. she has worked for several humanitarian organizations like Family for every Child, railway Children UK, and Care India. she takes a deep interest in children’s and women’s issues, human rights, and the environment. Before immersing herself in photography, she worked for eight years in India and other international locations for organizations including the British red Cross and save the Children UK. her work for these non-profits focused on children’s rights issues and child protection.
Prachi Venkataraman : Your work as a visual
storyteller is deeply humanitarian concerning
children, women, old age, social rejection, and
human rights. Your projects take a deep dive into
prominent social issues. Why and when did this
interest develop?
Sujata Khanna: From 10th grade until 12th grade,
I was a part of lts (leadership training service) at
school, which meant sporadically we would make
trips to Ngos and do activities there. I remember one
of the trips to the then called shanti avedna ashram
(now shanti avedna sadan), a home for terminally ill
cancer patients. What started as one visit because of
the school became four years of me volunteering at
the home, reading to cancer patients, hearing their
stories, and at times taking them to the bathroom.
through lts, I visited mother teresa’s orphanage as
well. I think it was on our way back when I decided I
wanted to do something within this sector. I felt I had
found my purpose.