Mumbai photo exhibition: Exploring the lives of subcontinent refugees

The word unsettle is unsettling It not only indicates a lack of order but also a feeling of uneasiness that can be permanent or temporary And for over 65 million people in the world today being unsettled implies both definitions in the most tangible sense To be a refugee doesnt come with knowing where youd want to be in the next five years or so it is to find the present and where if not at a decrepit cyclone shelterThe home of Yusuf a community representative who came to Chennai in 2012 from MyanmarWhen we ask Mumbaibased 24yearold architect and photographer Prachi Metawala for her takeaway from her experience of documenting the Rohingya refugees in a twostoreyed shelter in Kelambakkam Chennai she gives one word mdash resiliencePrachi MetawalaA graduate of Sir JJ School of Architecture Metawala wrote a thesis on the displaced population in Assam She drew from the study and began a collaborative project called Place Displaced before setting out to document refugees in the subcontinent In coordination with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees along with Chennaibased Platform Studio Sir JJ School of Architecture and the Tata Institute of Social Science Metawala will be helming UNSettled a photo exhibit that aims to create awareness among architects urban planners and designers about the various issues refugees faceA family that recently moved to Kelambakkam PicsPrachi MetawalaHer photographs are an exploration of the lives of refugees she met at Kelambakkam while closely studying the shelters structure I saw the children in one particular household seated in the kitchen But to create rooms at home the refugees have made makeshift walls out of fabric which is a fire hazard she explains Another detail Metawala sought to study was how each 10ft x 10ft room was different from the other When I visited Yusuf who is the community representative the setup of his home was drastically different from his neighbours He had his own little courtyard which was just three feet wide This speaks volumes because that tiny space is a luxury for them she saysYash KhajanchiIn Delhi Yash Khajanchi a student from IIT Roorkee documented Afghani refugees in Bhogal He encountered an Afghani cobbler on the street engaged in a lighthearted argument with a customer and some beggars They were asking him why he makes the effort to mend shoes when he can just beg for moneyThe Bhogal area in Delhi is home to Afghani refugees PicsYash KhajanchiHe replied that he would only earn his money through hard work he shares For Metawala the biggest barrier in the refugee crisis remains the constant derogatory labelling they face She says They come with the illusion that their lives will have more order but the ground reality is very differentThe Bhogal area in Delhi is home to Afghani refugees PicsYash KhajanchiThe students have also put together board games and an interactive PC game that gives visitors an insidelook into the world of a refugee The storylines were created after extensive research and the game was designed in a month and a half She adds Its a simple game but with complex charactersTill August 4 11 am to 6 pmAt The Claude Batley Gallery Sir JJ College of Architecture CSTCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates