Photography Open House: Climate, Gender, and Caste in South Asia

NYU Libraries invites you to attend an Open House with Bhumika Saraswati, an award-winning, internationally published journalist, filmmaker, and photographer who will be sharing artwork from her acclaimed project Unequal Heat (@heat.southasia), an examination of the unequal nature of the climate crisis that documents how rising temperatures disproportionately affect marginalized communities—particularly women—in South Asia. This one-night photo exhibition of women laborers in Delhi, India, brings an intersectional focus to the climate crisis and considers how the most deeply impacted communities work to protect land, water, air, and life.

This event includes a display of Saraswati’s photographs and brief remarks by the artist. Co-sponsored by New York University’s Office of Sustainability, Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Center for Collaborative Indigenous Research with Communities and Lands, and Asian/Pacific/American Institute. Light refreshments will be served. Registration is required for attendance.

About Bhumika Saraswati:

Bhumika Saraswati is an award-winning Indian journalist, photographer, and filmmaker whose work documents lives and narratives often overlooked or erased. Specialising in long-term work, with a visual-first approach, she makes complex stories more accessible and impactful. Her acclaimed project Unequal Heat (@heat.southasia) examines the unequal nature of the climate crisis, documenting how rising temperatures disproportionately affect marginalized communities—particularly women—in South Asia. Born in a Dalit household, a community stigmatized as “untouchable” under South Asia’s rigid caste system, Bhumika’s storytelling is deeply informed by her lived experience and the resilience of her single mother, Gita. Bhumika’s work has garnered local and international recognition, including the UN-Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitive Reporting and the Human Rights Press Award. Her writing, photography, and films have been featured by Associated Press, The Caravan, Outlook Magazine, The Hindu, SCMP Films, and more. She is the founder of the Kranti Collective, a physical space in Palam Village, Delhi that houses a free public library and hosts film screenings and workshops, particularly for children and women from marginalized backgrounds, like her own. Through her storytelling, Bhumika brings dignity and depth to the lives of those whose histories are often systemically erased. Visit her website: www.BhumikaSaraswati.com.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Bobst Library | 2nd Floor | Dr. Richard A. Chase Reading Room and Event Space, 70 Washington Square South, New York, United States