Team – Labour Lens

Kumar

Founding Editor

“Unless the deer itself writes its story, the hunter will always be glorified in history” — this well-known quote resonates deeply with me, and I firmly believe in its truth. In the world of cinema and literature, the voices of labourers are inadequately represented. Therefore, I attempt to capture it through short stories, poems, comedy, and other audio-visual content to amplify the voices of labour. I used to do all this under the name City of Labourer Speaks. The initiative Labour Lens has now evolved from the personal blog City of Labourer Speaks.

“Founding editor” — this position holds significant weight, and I am not sure if I am a good editor. However, coming from a labourer background, I felt the need to start somewhere and claim my agency. That is why I hold this position next to my name.

But why me? Why did I take the initiative, and why am I the founding editor of this space for labour? You might not have asked, but I feel obliged to justify my position here. Because I have been a labourer myself for many years. I have not only observed the different aspects of labourers’ lives in the city but also experienced and lived them firsthand while working in various factories in Delhi. I come from a migrant family that moved from Bihar to Surat and occasionally to Delhi in search of work. Sometimes my parents worked in steel factories; at other times, they laboured in malls. This initiative, Labour Lens, is grounded in a deeply personal and emotional connection to labourers.

Why am I sharing my past as a labourer openly for the first time? For the last 15 years, I was afraid to confront it, running away from the bitter realities of my past. Growing up, people around me often made me feel ashamed of my roots in Bihar and my labourer family, refusing to accept me culturally. Now, after obtaining an education and experiencing life in different cities, I have realized that being a labourer and coming from Bihar is not a crime but a reality — and I accept it.

I am here to reclaim and assert my identity as a labourer. By writing and sharing my story publicly, I aim to challenge societal biases. For me, the personal is political, and the political is deeply personal.

Kumar is currently based out of Bengaluru and belongs to the OBC community.

Arpita

Art Editor

Arpita is an artist, architect, urban planner, and researcher. Deeply agonised by the existing inequalities, she often voices her deeper reflections through art, poetry, and music. Access to affordable and adequate housing is her core area of research and practice that she explores working with diverse organizations starting from research think-tanks, academic institutions to NGOs, and worker unions. Her current work highlights the challenges of livability among the urban migrants of India. Her art is often a social commentary on the contemporary India.

Arpita is currently working as a housing management specialist with ShelterSquare Foundation, and as a research associate with Aajeevika Bureau, and Swastik Harish and Associates.

She is presently based out of Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Heman Oza

Communication Lead

Heman has been working in the development sector with young people from Vimukta communities in Madhya Pradesh. He says, “Amidst the dark times we find ourselves in, several young people I work with make me feel hopeful that someday the dream of social justice will bloom.”

At Labour Lens, Heman handles communication and documentation work.

Friends of Labour

As mentioned earlier, the project at Labour Lens was initially conceived as a personal initiative to express and celebrate the lives of labourers. Over time, the need was felt to transform this personal endeavor into a political and public project centered on labourers.

This transformation could not have been achieved alone. It was made possible through the invaluable support and mentorship of the friends of labour—individuals who believed in this vision, agreed with its purpose, and offered all the assistance they could provide.

A public project cannot be carried out by one person alone. It requires the involvement and participation of the public itself to truly become a collective and inclusive initiative.

Mansoor Gous

Mansoor Gous belongs to the waste pickers’ community and has been working in Bengaluru for the last 12 years. Mansoor dropped out of school and began working as a waste picker to support his family. Over the years, he built a network and gained support, eventually starting his own waste collection center. He currently runs a Dry Waste Collection Center in Jayanagar, Bengaluru, providing employment to about 20 people. He has previously worked with the MLA of Jayanagar, Bengaluru, and has also represented the waste pickers’ community in Paris in dialogues on climate change.