Kitab-the photobook exhibition concluded its special exhibition dedicated to women in the Himalayas in Almora on Sunday.
Kitab founder Manik Katyal said, "Even though women are the life-line of the mountain villages yet they face poverty, low literacy levels and unemployment. With our Almora edition, we explored how photography can empower and inspire and be an important tool for social-change among the women in the mountain villages as it provided much needed global exposure to the community through powerful photography books from over 30 countries. We believe that meaningful photography fosters empowerment through individual reflection, self-esteem and identity formation as well as a sense of community."
The event involved engagement with women from villages working with Kilmora-a brand promoted by Kumaon Grameen Udyog, to help devise and carry out creative community-building through powerful photography in the mountain villages of Almora district.
Kilmora marketing head Srishti Singh said, "Kitab was an exceptional experience for the women artisans at Kilmora, not just because it was something they had never seen before but also because it opened the world to them.
Engaging with content from countries they had never even heard of and visual stories with myriad interpretations, did break some barriers for these women."
Laura Larson from USA, whose book Hidden Mother was exhibited at the festival said, “I was delighted to have the opportunity to share my work in the exhibition. I love knowing that my book has reached an audience in Almora and hope that it sparks a conversation about the relationship between mothering and photography.”
"The event, by directly taking the work of some artists from around the world to different sections of the society specially in rural areas is doing a good job in spreading the medium of art which is currently only associated to the elite in the society,” said Himanshu Khagta whose book Life in Spiti was also exhibited in the festival.