“Isn’t it time that all members of society can count on an education regardless of their social standing”.
I was first made aware of the migrant sugarcane workers in India when I was doing some work for UN Women. I was fascinated to learn of their journey to the fields from far off villages. Something didn’t seem right to me and I wanted to learn more
This project could not have been completed without the support, generosity and backing by the many people who contributed to the Indiegogo campaign. However, all the financial support means nothing if you don’t have someone you can trust who is looking out for your well being. For me that person was my friend Sunitha Jagaanath. Her support and help made this project possible. Sunitha miraculously introduced me to Panduranga Biradar aka “Pandu” the head of R&D at the Nandi Sugar Company, who without knowing me or what my intentions were gave me unobstructed access to the factory and the migrant workers. Without his help there would be no story to tell.
When I came home with the thousands of images and hours of film footage I relied on the exceptional eye of Julie Grahame whose editing expertise I trust implicitly. Design of the book was down to the amazing Sean Mosher-Smith. Sean has always been open to the work I do and his continued support helps to tell the stories that I feel need to be told and he allows them to be presented in a beautiful way. Video editing by Steven Collin and Jessica Schoen who had to put up with way more questions then anyone should have to endure. Troy Farmer who’s generosity of time and skill as a designer and friend are not lost on me. Thank you to Faizan Qadri at Radiations3 who translated my website ideas into code. Finally to Anamika Jatkar who sat beside me for days and translated what these people had to say.
David