Alina from Naandi.org has sent this article for their project (Freedom of Expression). It is a wonderful step taken by Naandi and i wish them all the success.

A few days ago, a group of children from slums armed with digital cameras (they were using these for the first time in their lives) showed us – yet again – the incredible imagination they have and more astounding, the speed with which they figure out technology.

We are doing a project called Freedom of Expression. It’s with the communities we work for – children from slums and remote villages and men and women from indigenous tribes and rural communities. It’s a pan India project. An experiment to encourage and enable people to understand and use technology (digital cameras) to tell their stories.

FoE began 10 days ago. It’s thrilling us no end the amount of confidence that builds when a child figures out technology, uses it and is also ‘seen’ using it by her peers. Children were given Nikons and a lot of photo tips. What confidence they’ve taken pictures with and what pictures they’ve taken!

We’ve captured moments of this long (rather amazing) trip that began in Hyderabad – south India – in our first ever attempt to blog, here’s the link: naandi-freedomofexpression.blogspot.com

We are enjoying every moment of it and I think you will too when you see some of the pictures that are emerging and read stories of the ‘young photographers’.

This project travels across the country. The present stop is at: Sheopur: Central India, then it will go to Gidderbaha: Punjab, western India, Araku Valley, South India and finally Nagaland: North Eastern India.

We’ll keep updating the blog everyday. Do visit and also leave your comments because we want to show our participants what the world thinks of their pictures.

Also, if you have a blog, link us on it please. And if you have friends that would like to follow the progress of Freedom of Expression, do spread the word.

PS: We shall compile the pictures collected and have local exhibitions and auctions to raise funds for the project. We shall also create a coffee table book so our participants feature among story tellers and photographers of the world as well.