“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera,” said Dorothea Lange, an American documentary photographer and a photo journalist. And we agree.

A Wall of Hope and Joy – a photography exhibition was aimed at taking the viewers on a journey of hope and happiness, helping them revisit their childhood emotions and experiences. The photos did that and much more effortlessly. The sundry of emotions on the faces of the children from various walks of life shared the spirit of childhood with the onlookers. The photos taught us all to see much more than what we usually see.

It was an incredible experience for Akshaya Patra as it saw many curious visitors at Mantri Square, Bangalore. The visitors, awestruck by the simplicity and spirit of childhood captured in the images, could not get back to shopping until they had seen all the photos at the exhibition. Individuals of all ages walked down the memory lane of childhood. A visitor from Russia said “the programme of serving mid-day meals is an important initiative for the underserved children in India and this exhibition was probably a good way of sending the message.” Many inquisitive of the programme, many more appreciative; the event spread the message that ‘children should be children’ and need all the help they can get.

Here is the link to gallery of the event: A Wall Of Hope and Joy 2014-15

The exhibition was organised by Akshaya Patra in partnership with Mantri Square, Bangalore on the 24th, 25th, and 26th of January 2015. The event was inaugurated by Mr Praveen Methil, Head, Mantri Sqaure and Shridhama Krishna Dasa from ISKCON. Mr Methil expressed that he was overwhelmed at the scale, reach and operations of the Foundation. He was appreciative and supportive throughout the event. The event saw thousands of visitors and was also featured on various local TV channels and newspapers.