Zoya's painful picture!

- Nowadays-Preeti Shah

Sometimes at the station, sometimes on the sidewalk. Sometimes I was beaten by the police. In this way the family lived a life of great sorrow and pain

Zoya Thomas Lobo, 6, has been the country's first transgender photojournalist to fight for her life since her childhood. Born into a normal family in Mumbai, Lobo lived happily with her sister and parents. But this happiness did not last long. One day Lobo's father died unexpectedly. The biggest disaster for the mother, who was worried about how to raise her two children, was to stay at home, finally Lobo's aunt in Mahim arranged to live there.

The family used to get rations from the local church, but for other expenses they started working in a bakery. Slowly life was settling in, but as Lobo understood, he felt that he was different from the other boys, but he was so frightened that he didn't tell anyone.

She feared that if anyone found out, she would be kicked out of the house or live a humiliating life, but one day when her family found out, she had to leave her aunt's house. In this way the family lived a life of great sorrow and pain.

In order to keep her mother and sister from going hungry, she worked in a bakery as well as cleaning cinema halls in South Mumbai as well as other retail work. One day, she found her dance teacher on the bus and recognized her. Upon hearing of her plight, she offered a job as a receptionist at her own dance school, but unfortunately the dance school closed within a few days.

Lobo's mother, on the other hand, endured such a difficult situation. She became depressed and became addicted to alcohol. At the age of seventeen, Lobo met a guru from the transgender community. He taught Lobo how to wear a sari, his language and manners and how to clap and named him ‘Zoya’.

Zoya asked Anne's mother for permission to join the group, but it was an extremely difficult task for any mother. Zoya, who was begging the passengers on the train, now had enough money to keep her mother and sister in a room instead of on the sidewalk. He had dreamed of becoming a photographer since childhood, but due to circumstances, the hobby remained in his mind.

As he began to receive money, he began to have an unquenchable desire for a camera, but his luck was still two steps ahead. In Mumbai's local train, all the money earned by traveling in a ladies' compartment all day was used for alcohol. After her mother's death in 2016, she was able to save a lot of money and bought a second hand digital camera for Rs 30,000 and started doing photography.

But a turning point came in his life, with a telefilm called 'Hijra: Shaap Ki Vardan' Part-1. The film, which was screened on YouTube, was viewed by around four million people. Zoya was honored for her performance. At the ceremony, the owner of a newspaper in Maharashtra offered her the opportunity to work as a freelance photojournalist there. The transgender people organized a 'Pink Rally' for their rights, during which they met with a senior journalist from the European Press Photo Agency and taught Zoya many new lessons in the art of photography.

During the lockdown last year, when thousands of migrant workers were on their way home from Bandra station to study, Zoya rushed to her home with a camera and took many unique pictures, which were published by India's leading dailies. Today Zoya also does wildlife photography.

It wants change in education and in society. He believes that if transgender people find love in the family, they will not have to leave. He says everyone has an equal right to life. Its purpose now is to inculcate in the minds of the society that a man and a woman need work and respect as much as a transgender person.

The principle of the best from the West

These items made from jeans are bought by the general consumers as well as big well known companies. Many companies that sell denim have them decorated

There are many programs and seminars related to nature and the environment, but very few people work to preserve the environment. One of such names is Siddhant Kumar. Raised in Munger district of Bihar, Siddhant Kumar studied at IIT. Masters in Design from Mumbai. After completing his studies, he got a job in a company in Bengaluru, but Siddhant was not very interested in that job. He wanted to do something different in his own way, so he came to Delhi in 2013.

He started his own startup in Delhi. He used to make different 'on the table' games for children. At the same time I started making some things from old denim jeans. Siddhant, who lives in a rented house in Delhi, found the walls of his house to be of the same color and very simple, so he thought of doing something artistic. But without realizing it, he decorated the walls using his own worn-out jeans. It so happened that all the visitors who came to her house liked her idea and everyone told her that it looks very beautiful and attractive. How did this happen? Simply, the admiration of the people gave Siddhant Kumar the strength to develop in this field.

Siddhant Kumar started buying antique items. Such as lanterns, old phones, kettles etc. Created a new look using denim on all these items. Thus prepared forty-fifty things. For the first time in 2013, there was an exhibition at City Mall, in which all those items were put up for sale. He received a very warm response from the people at that time, so he decided to take up this job as a career.

Gradually he turned his attention to denim, as this new idea of ​​his and his products - both became very popular. Initially, he got old jeans from friends and acquaintances around him, but if he wants to do it on a large scale, he has to get more jeans.

Siddhant Kumar started his startup work 'Denim Decor'. To get old jeans he approached people who were selling utensils instead of clothes. These people went to different places in the village and city to sell utensils in exchange for clothes. So they had old jeans in their clothes.

It all started to come together. Today they make about four hundred items from such old jeans, including bags, diaries, pen stands, bottles, sofa covers, curtains, stools, shoes, lanterns and many more. The most important thing is that nothing special in this way is made of old jeans. From its slices they make portraits. All their products are eco-friendly.

We all know that one thousand liters of water is used to make one of the genes of Cotton Codroy. When jeans made in this way get old, people throw them away or there is no use left. Siddhant Kumar is doing a great job of nature and environment by upcycling a thousand such genes every month.

In addition, forty people are getting employment. The joy to Siddhant Kumar is that these items made from jeans are bought by the general consumers as well as big well known companies. Many companies that sell denim have them decorated. The whole decoration of the showroom is done with such old and discarded jeans.

Companies working in interior designing also buy different items from Siddhanta. They use it in home, office and showroom. He made a mask out of denim during the lockdown. When people did not have a job, twenty-five artisans put machines there and gave them jobs.

Apart from India, its products are also being sold in countries like Japan, Australia and America. Siddhant Kumar, who has an annual turnover of Rs 1.5 crore, has been working on plastics for some time. They are making different things by upcycling multi-layered plastics like food packets, wrappers.