In the series Bachpan, Vicky Roy explores childhood games' psychology and cultural codes and play as an expression of community memory connected with nostalgia and remembering. Travelling around the urban and rural locales of major Indian states, so far including Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra and West Bengal, Roy is perceptively drawn towards children at play from underprivileged sections of society, who have limited access to toys and equipment and must invent activities using humble found objects and their imaginations. The rules that frequently emerge tend to follow an environmental logic, guided by personal myths, upcycling materials and the nurturing tenets of sharing. Roy’s youthful protagonists display boldness and confidence in these precious moments of pleasure found outdoors – climbing trees or parked cars to test their limits or running through fields and bathing in ponds – appearing certainly in groups that represent both the logistics of play and largeness of communities, given their greatest resource is the company of other children. For viewers, Bachpan stirs a shared and familiar bittersweetness of adulthood that invariably reconciles with the loss of childhood innocence.
A runaway rag picker all set for his solo show at Vadhera Art Gallery, Vicky Roy proves that with passion, hard work, and resilience, one can make their dreams come true.
Vicky, your new show is called Bachpan (Childhood). Can you tell me how your childhood has shaped who you are today?
I grew up in a small village, and back then, we had no gadgets, no computers, no games, nothing related to technology. Our childhood was simple; we didn’t have access to any of that. We were a group of kids who bathed together in the river, or when we played cricket, we made a ball out of plastic, as we did not have money to buy a ball. If you see the photos from the series, what will stand out is that you’ll see the children happy, having fun, and there’s a sense of freedom and fearlessness that comes out in each image. Those memories inspired me to create Bachpan. When I moved to Delhi, lived independently and started photography, that changed my mindset. Things shifted, as no one has time in the city. I miss my close friends who, to date, leave everything, close their shops and spend time with me when I go back to my village. There was, of course change in lifestyle because what’s needed here is different — you can’t expect everything to be the same everywhere.
For this photo series, you’ve travelled a lot; you’ve gone to many different places and taken pictures. How did you decide where you wanted to go?
I was already travelling to all 28 states and 8 union territories of India for another assignment. Since 2020, I’ve been working on a project about disability. We created a website called Everyone Is Good at Something, like Humans of Bombay or Humans of New York. Every week, we post one story about a person with disabilities — one male story, one female story. We post five photos along with the person’s full story, focusing on their daily life. The idea is, you shouldn’t look at the photo and feel pity, but feel happy and hopeful that, under the circumstances these people are in, they still are triumphing and thriving.
According to government data, there are 21 official disability categories, and we’ve covered them all, with over 200 stories so far. I’ve shot stories from every single state and UT in India. And during this work, I mostly ended up travelling to rural India for shoots. So I began photographing this story simultaneously as well.
Tell me, how old were you when you had your first show? And how do you feel you’ve evolved since then?
I was 19 when I had my first show. One of the biggest things for me was the mentorship I received from Anay Mann. My training under him involved lots of travel because we’d often go out to shoot photographs. So I learned and observed a lot through accompanying Anay sir and through travelling. I’ve done so many projects since then, like I even photographed the reconstruction of the World Trade Centre in 2009. There were four photographers chosen worldwide. I was chosen from India. I started a library in 2011 with many photography books, and in 2013, I came out with my photography book titled Home Street Home. Then I got a fellowship from MIT. After that, I came 30 under 30 in Asia’s list. So through all these experiences and acknowledgements, there has been a deep learning.
What has been the biggest Challenge you faced through all this?
When I was travelling to the US, I was nervous as I do not speak English; therefore, I was very unsure how I would communicate or get my way around, so I was feeling underconfident. But when I went to New York, I realised that many Japanese and Europeans speak English worse than even I do. That assured me that you don’t need to know English to do your work. Earlier, I thought that if I did not know English, I would be unprofessional. But through all my interactions, I realised that my work should speak, and that’s more important for me than for me to learn English.
How did you reach Vadehra Art Gallery?
In 2012, I emailed Roshni Ma’am to see my work. I knew the gallery at that time did not exhibit very young artists, but I still emailed her and told her if you don’t give me a chance, how will I grow? So she asked me to meet Vidya, and I met her, and they gave me a group show. In 2017, they gave me a solo show, and now I am doing another solo show. In the middle, I even curated a show at Vadehra Art Gallery. I don’t feel shy about asking for help or guidance. I even approached Devika Ma’am from Photoink she even helped me. All my life, I have focussed on my work and have been extremely passionate, and I continue to work with my heart.
The show is open at the Vadehra Art Gallery till the 30th of May.
Words Shruti Kapur Malhotra
Date 12.05.2025