ANCESTRY

There exists an invisible form of motherhood—a condition met with silence and fear. It is the motherhood of women who are forced to terminate their pregnancies simply because they are carrying daughters.

This project emerged from a dissertation on Female Infanticide and Sex-selective abortion in India, developed during four months of research conducted across both northern and southern regions of the country. While rooted in the documentation of systemic violence and gender-based discrimination, the work also seeks to evoke a sense of resilience and hope—the very qualities I witnessed in the eyes of the women I met, interviewed, and with whom I shared stories.

The photographs are arranged to initially evoke ambiguity and disquiet. Do these mothers truly exist? Is their suffering recognized? Gradually, the sequence begins to break through the silence. As light returns to the frame, the hidden grief, the suppressed pain, and the silenced experience of womanhood and motherhood rise to the surface. They are given visibility, space, and—most importantly—dignity.