Unravelling the puzzle
I explored photography as a way to feed my soul during a time when I was struggling with life's challenges. It helped to keep myself afloat and feel alive.
Photography gives me the power to contribute to the betterment of people and society by telling stories in an honest way.
To me, photography is my voice through which I can advocate for people and can encourage them to fight back against any kind of odds. It also gives me the opportunity to observe life more intensely.
For me, photography is not just another medium of art, rather it is a lifestyle and a way to express myself. It has taught me how to live and stay alive.
'Unravelling The Puzzle Inside' is my story. I started this story to give myself a chance to get out of the fear and the horrible past that I have been carrying in my mind for the last several years.
When I got married, I was discriminated against for my skin colour, faced domestic violence, got divorced, fought back and started to fulfil my dreams fighting against obstacles.
I used to take pictures using my brother's camera to distract myself from my personal pain. In 2014, one of my photographs was selected for a group exhibition organised by online photography group, Grasshoppers.
People's feedback on my photo during the exhibition built my confidence about photography. In 2015, I started studying advanced courses on photography at Counter Foto and at the same time I was doing a full time job and pursuing my evening MBA.
In the same year, I got a full scholarship for a diploma degree in documentary photography. After that, I did not have to look back. I quit my job and MBA and enrolled in the diploma.
That was a tough decision, but I chose my path to save myself from my own pain. I did this photo story as my diploma final project. I chose my experiences and fear to turn it into a photo story to set my soul free from unexpected mental trauma.