Hair Gel, Self-Rule and Hip-Hop
Soham Gupta photographs the disenfranchised Indian youth that is finding its place in society thanks to music and new technologies.
Working on the fringes of the underground hip-hop movement in Kolkata, Soham Gupta follows young men from Dalit and Muslim minorities as they walk their way into Indian society, trying to overcome obstacles related to caste, class, religious discrimination and homophobia.
His project “Desi Boys” focuses on their dreams, haircuts, tattoos and the bonds they create in their chosen families. The wider availability of the internet network in the country and emerging technologies provided new chances of employment for the boys, who found in the movement new opportunities of self-expression and independence.
You can follow Soham Gupta’s work on his
website
