EVERY SMILE BELONGS
SOLO EXHIBITION AT KNMA NEW DELHI
Every Smile Belongs is one of the most meaningful bodies of work I’ve created. Commissioned by Smile Train India and exhibited at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, it marks their 25-year journey supporting children born with clefts—a journey that has transformed countless lives.
When I began this project, Rumi’s words stayed with me: “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” They became the spirit of the series. In a world obsessed with filters, perfection, and erasing anything deemed “flawed,” I wanted to make portraits that do the opposite, images that simply see.
I photographed these children in natural light—pre-op in a quiet hospital room in Lucknow, and post-op outside in a park where they could just be themselves. No retouching, no AI, nothing altered. Just honesty, dignity, and presence.
Through these black-and-white portraits, I want to challenge how we define beauty and difference. These children are not invisible, not incomplete—they are luminous. Their smiles are symbols of resilience, courage, and the desire to be seen.
For me, Every Smile Belongs is more than an exhibition. It’s a reminder that visibility is the first step toward inclusion—and that sometimes, what we think of as a wound is exactly where the light enters.
