Background
Blind With Camera project was started by Partho Bhowmick in Mumbai, India. Early 2004, accidentally he picked up an old issue of a photo magazine from a pavement vendor in Mumbai, India to come across an article on Evgen Bavcar, an accomplished blind photographer based in Paris. His passion for photography made him contact Evgen Bavcar over the Internet and got profoundly influenced by his work and philosophy. He engaged himself in self-study on blindness and visual art, and in the process, came in touch with several blind photographers and blind artists around the world and people working towards giving new insight to the blind and their artistic expression.
Picture by Evgen Bavcar
After two years of independent research on blindness and visual art, he decided to start a workshop on photography for the blind, but it was not easy to get around endless queries, questions and doubts. Finally, after months of trying to get participants, in January 2006, he started the workshop with just one student. Several visually impaired jointed later. Workshop was fee of cost, it was funded from his savings and later well-wishers and business corporate came forward to support it.
As the workshop evolved with time, Partho could see the illuminated new world of the Blind photographer’s inner gallery. These inner galleries where translated into an “inclusive” exhibition - Beyond Sight. Since the first show in 2007, the exhibition has been traveling across India, presented and discussed at several social conferences, and viewed by over 15,000 people. Blind With Camera project is the first of its kind in India.
Early 2009, the Beyond Sight Foundation was founded to widen the scope and deepen social deliverables of Blind With Camera project.
Partho has been awared the Karmaveer Puraskaar 2009, National Award for Social Justice and Citizen Action by the Indian Confederation of NGO (ICOGNO).