A photographer’s journey to highlight gender bias in the South Asian community

When photographer Sarvjit Sra became a father to two girls in a South Asian community, he knew he would have to get used to the idea of well-meaning remorse that would inevitably be directed his way. “I am often asked how many children I have, along with their gender. My answer is generally received with remorse along with surprise to find that I am okay with having two girls.” The common remark, “What, no sons?” followed by the offhanded “Chal, Koi Na” (Never mind, doesn’t matter) is what lead Sra to start working on The Girl Child Project—a mixed media art exhibit where he combined audio along with photography to highlight the issue of a male child preference with the South Asian community. “The project was funded by a grant from Arts Council England and took 12 months to complete. This involved inter-generational research through workshops and online surveys. From this response I created image ideas and then worked with a photography/project mentor to create a set of images that carried the theme of the Girl Child. The images are also accompanied by an audio piece that was produced by Ravi Singh/94 Dreams. Inspiration was taken from a piece of music composed by my daughter Jaya,” he says.

The aim of the project, like all art, is to provoke, create a dialogue and challenge perceptions of the viewer. “Photography is a universal language without borders, allowing its message to be accessible and understood by all. I strongly feel that an image can speak volumes when supporting a cause or issue that is either taboo or hidden.”

Sra, works with social, cultural and issue based arts within the South Asian community in the UK and is currently looking to collaborate and work on a project on mental health, meanwhile he is also looking at the possibility of generating enough funding to tour the UK and abroad to exhibit The Girl Child Project.

Check out some of the images below.