'Mass Cheaters' Caught in the Lens of Stark Photographer

BENGALURU: ‘Picture perfect’ as it is said. One stark shot taken by the photographer has shaken the nations conscious. The hilarious plight of Indian schools is all put together in one smart photo. We have heard of a photographer who revealed the chemical war during the Vietnam War. This picture which revealed the ‘mass cheating’ that has been going on in the controversial land of Bihar has caught international attention. Cheating in an examination had just been taken to another level.

It is the season of examinations; most students in the country are facing the exam heat, but not the students in Bihar. While the students chill out in the examination hall, it is their friends and family who have been gearing up for the board exams. Why? Because it is their ‘moral duty’ to help their children pass the exam. So they took the ultimate step of passing cheat sheets to their kids in the examination hall. They even took the pain to climb the walls to pass the ‘chits’. This scene was promptly caught in the camera of a young journalist, Rajesh Kumar. Rajesh barely knew the ripples his powerful picture could create.

He remains stoic and humble; perhaps this is not a rare scene in the state. But, his famous click got national and international attention as the image went viral within few hours its release in a local newspaper.

Rajesh, who is from Sahdei-Desri block in Vaishali district works for the local edition of a Hindi newspaper. “My photo has gone viral, but I am pushed into anonymity,” he told The Hindu on the phone.

He did his job as a block-level photographer and that simple act has now led the government to take a severe action on the mass cheating practices. As of Sunday the authorities have collected as much as 15 lakh as fine amount from students and family.

Ironically the people living in Rajesh’s village now chase him away if he is found with a camera in hand. This makes us question whether it is the people in the country or the much blamed ‘system’ that is wrong?

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