Recently, I had the opportunity of meeting Ranita Roy at the XPosure International Photography Festival in Sharjah, UAE. She is an amazingly talented young Indian photographer who was one of only five scholarship recipients for a highly coveted program.  However, what stood out in  Ranita's case was not only her raw photographic talent but her personal story as well.  Here is an excerpt from a recent article written about her: 

"Ranita Roy, from Andul, a small agricultural town near Kalkota, borrowed a high-quality camera to take the photos that have won her a prestigious international competition because she can’t afford to buy her own. Twenty-four-year-old Miss Roy won a scholarship to train with one of the world’s leading travel photographers, Timothy Allen, and now dreams of being a world-famous photographer.

Miss Roy borrowed her cousin’s camera four years ago to overcome depression and now describes photography as her ‘meditation’.

Miss Roy’s traditional upbringing meant she had been expected to marry and have children after leaving school but she explained that wasn’t her destiny.

Once she had convinced her father that photography was a hobby she would stick at, he bought her a basic, beginner’s digital camera using a payment plan.

A family friend and fellow lover of photography became her mentor and now lends her his high-quality camera to take her award-winning photographs. But it caused a stir when she entered the competition as the owner’s name was still registered on the image’s metadata.

One phone call cleared it up and Miss Roy has wowed the judges with her other photos."

WITHOUT OWNING HER OWN EQUIPMENT ( this camera she borrowed is now damaged and unrepairable)  and WHILE REBELLING AGAINST HER TRADITIONAL UPBRINGING OF BEING EXPECTED TO GET MARRIED AT AN EARLY AGE AND TO START PRODUCING CHILDREN RIGHT AWAY, she managed to create awe-inspiring photographs.

And she just did it again and has once more won a spot in the highly prestigious and exclusive NYT/ CUNY Portfolio Review Competition to take place on the 30th and 31st of March 2019 at The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in NYC. 

But because of her humble background, she is struggling to find the funds to make this trip. She embodies the power of modern women like her all over the world.

Expenses: Airfare from India to NY, lodging, and meals for two days and four nights in NYC. 
Deadline: March 1st

Please help get her to NYC so she can continue on the path of achieving her true destiny: That of becoming a world-class photographer and telling the story of her fellow human beings.

Legendary war photographer- Sir Don McCullin- hails new Indian Photographic Prodigy

In case you want to see more of her work:
Ranita Roy Photography https://ranitaroyblog.wordpress.com/

Ranita Roy: IG https://www.instagram.com/ranita3roy/