A Message from the Photographer "I went to India to photograph for SPARSH, the foundation that my friend Sreyashi Dey was instrumental in founding with other non–resident Indian women living in the United States. Sreyashi and her cousin met me and my companion at the airport early in the morning, or late into the night, depending upon how one prefers to interpret 1:00 am. After 26 hours of travel, it was good to see her. She would be my host in India during the 11 days of my stay in Kolkata. We exited the airport doors and were instantly enveloped by moist heavy fragrant air. The air was different from home, and so was the road trip from the airport to our lodgings. We got into a white car with a driver. The car had rounded fenders and a 1940s aesthetic, and was typical of the cars and taxis that I’d ride in during my stay. The drive into the city at night did not prepare me for the traffic and roads during the day. Anarchy is the best way to describe road travel in India. I’m not faint of heart, but I was terrified on these city streets. Our drivers, and we had a few, seemed to enjoy being reckless behind the wheel. We passed human powered rickshaws, bicycles pulling huge piles of goods, buses teeming with people, dogs, taxis trying to over run us, and other mad drivers of all kinds of vehicular inventions. The moist heavy air and the chaotic roads were the first differences that I experienced in India. Looking back on my trip, beside the craziness of the streets, what I remember most was how accepting and kind the people were. Whether I was photographing in a hospital, or during my walks, those who I met were gracious and kind. I’ve heard the word globalization used often these last ten years. I hope that this word means that people of the world will be able to care and treat each other as though they are of one family. This is how people treated me in India. I saw hard working people, most of whom have few material goods. I saw a colorful environment with flowers all over, produce beautifully arranged on sidewalks, old hardware on old doors, bright fabrics, wooden textures, handmade shrines to deities, and painted drawings of spiritual beliefs. But I also read the daily newspaper while I was there and saw that India has similar problems to us—crime, intolerance, problems that government can’t easily fix, and problems too, like us, with the government. I was there for only eleven days—not long enough penetrate the surfaces of what I saw. I look forward to a trip back to photograph more for SPARSH. I believe in what my friend Sreyashi and others believe in—that we all need to touch each other to make a better world." -Charlee Brodsky About Charlee Charlee Brodsky, a professor of photography at Carnegie Mellon University, is a fine art and documentary photographer. Brodsky describes her work as dealing with human issues and beauty through everyday tales of life. Brodsky exhibits her work nationally and has co-authored several books. Among her projects, her book Street, with poet Jim Daniels, won the 2007 Tillie Olsen Award given by the Working Class Studies Association. In 2001, she and three others won an Emmy for their work on Stephanie, a documentary video about Stephanie Byram’s life with breast cancer. Brodsky worked with Byram to produce the book Knowing Stephanie, which was one of the American Association of University Presses’ outstanding illustrated books of 2004. With anthropologist Judith Modell Schacter, Brodsky explored Homestead, a former steel mill town. This work resulted in the book A Town Without Steel, Envisioning Homestead. Her most recent book, I Thought I Could Fly …Portraits of Anguish, Compulsion, and Despair, is a compilation of stories of mental illness. Photos © 2007 by Charlee Brodsky |