City photographer’s anti-rape photo series earns accolades

Tanirika or flower has a feeling of freshness to it. That was the precise reason that Ganesh Toasty decided to name his latest photo series that has gone viral on social media. It takes a fresh approach towards the message of anti-rape. 

“This shoot aims to bring out a reality that exists, but a lot of people are choosing to ignore: rape can happen to anybody, and can be committed by anybody. The decision to rape is usually not premeditated or committed by individuals with a criminal past; it is a spur-of-the-moment act. A lot of the times, in Indian society, victims are afraid to report rapes due to the social embarrassment that would follow. There are numerous instances in which the act would be filmed by the perpetrator. Furthermore, this shoot aims to show that dressing sense or habits have nothing to do with the act of rape,” explains Toasty. The 23-set photo series was shot at ECR. “I am a man of instincts. I wrote a story based on how I felt that a victim is always blamed and how the society judges the person based on what she wears or does. Then I decided to turn it into a photo series. My biggest victory will be if the series is effective in giving out a strong message,” he shares. 

Photographer Arjun Kamath’s work in Avani and Coming Out as a storyteller has been acclaimed across the globe. Is he inspired by Kamath, we ask? “I love his work and congratulated him on his brilliant work. He is one of my inspirations. As a fashion photographer, I have been doing photo-series for a while. But this series has a social message. I put all my other projects on hold and spent more than 45 days on research and planning the shoot,” he says.

(Photos by: Ganesh Toasty)