Unnati is an homage to Prabuddha Dasgupta and his beliefs concerning portrayal of women in his photography. A documentarian of beauty, his work includes images of urban Indian women that stood for strength and stability. Drawing inspiration from Dasgupta’s exploration of innermost nuances of gender, this shoot attempts to traverse the same boundaries.

Disclaimer: By no means we're trying to claim we've recreated his MAGIC. That iconic imagery is beyond us and we're aware. This is merely inspired and amalgamated with our individual visions and we sincerely don't claim this to stand parallel to his work.

She sits there, lost in her thoughts, her eyes full of sadness, thinking about all the things that the society has put her through. Recollecting old haunts, she goes over them one by one as she slides bangles in her hands one after another. How did she get here? Why is she and women out there being pushed inside a box, being told how they should act, how they should dress, what they should say and whether to have an opinion or not, who they should be? Why do the walls seem to cave in a little more each time she tries to resist? So many questions but she can't seem to find the answer to any of them....at least as of now. It all leads her to look forward to a time when women will no longer be reduced to the lowest common denominator of being stripped of choices.

She knows she is beautiful in her own way, full of grace, patience, elegance and everything this society expects her to be. She loves who she is but is also aware that she is much more than what they claim her to be. She is resilient. She is brave. She is unique. She has dreams and plans of her own. She hopes for a time when her existence will no longer be confided in her clothes and twinkling pieces of jewelry. She hopes for a time when she will be celebrated in all
her glory. A time when people think of her, they remember her for her stance, her ideas, her ideologies, all that she is and not just for what she wears or how she walks or how she talks or how she looks or how she cooks.

She opens up about her insecurities and desires to her friends and finds out that she is not alone in this. They too have found themselves going through the same emotional journey time and again with the same questions running through their mind like a broken record stuck in a loop playing the same song again and again. Just like a finger can only poke but a fist can throw a punch, they realize that when women have each other's back they can achieve the unimaginable.

Breaking away from the shackles of the society that she has been tied down to throughout her life, she runs as fast as she can. Leaving a life full of misery behind she runs towards new possibilities with all her strength, not worrying about what the society will say, how she looks or who is watching. None of that matters anymore because she knows that sometimes you have to fight your own battles to get what you deserve. She is now aware of her value and the power she holds. The ones that tried to control her were only doing so because they knew how strong she could be and they were afraid of that.

She knows that living a life full of restraints and orders is not the only option. When you get stuck in a cave, you can either give up and starve to death or you can keep pushing and dig your way through looking for that ray of hope and freedom that lies at the end of the tunnel and
so she let's the light of freedom guide her through this tumultuous time. It only pushes her to climb her way up, cross all the hurdles and to never give up.

She unites with other women and tackles everything with grace, intelligence, knowledge, wisdom and power. They know that together they can challenge the very idea of who the society thinks women are and decipher who they can be. Gone is the sadness that once filled their eyes. It is now replaced by new found hope and strength. Together they can and together they will change the world.

She is aware that this is just the beginning of a long road that lies ahead of her but she is ready now to take on this journey. Ready to reclaim her narrative as she owns her new persona. She might look the same, but on the inside something has changed. She will no longer give in, she will fight to be free. Brace yourself for what's to come, she is Unnati.

Unstoppable her stride,

Bewildering conformity tides,

Envisaging the magnitude of strength within,

Lies societal weakness therein,

Mistaking her ardor for all things alluring,

Mankind continues to undermine Cleopatra in flooring.