Smile Train India’s Photo Exhibition on Children with Clefts at Knma Delhi is a Powerful Portrayal of Reality and Hope

In a world obsessed with perfection, airbrushed images, and filtered realities, a black-sand-white portrait exhibition at the kiran nadar museum of art (knma) Quietly but poverfully disputes the Noise. Every smile belongs is a compeling collaboration between smile train India, The World’s Larget Cleft-Focused Charity Organization, and Photographer Komal Bedi Sohal, WHO HAS COME SOME UN COME SOME U Photographs of Children Born With Cleft Lips and Palates. But these are not pictures of sorrow or medical condition; They are stories of hope, courage, playfulness, and identity.

“The exhibition is not about evoking point; it is about Pride,” Says komal, who transitioned from an advertising creative director to a visual storyteler. “When I pick up the camera, I do not want to tell a sad story. I want to tell a true story and one filled with light, hope and strength.”

“Advertising Taught Me How to Communicate an Idea in a Few Seconds,” She Says. But the lens through six she now communicates is more intimate. “The goal is different; it is not about selling a product, but about restoring Dignity,” She says. “

Photo on Display at Knma Exhibition | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

That Dignity is Woven through Each Portrait on Display. Some of the Children Photographed Are Barely Months Old. Other teenagers finding their way through dance, sports, or content creation. On one side of the gallery are newborns recovering from surgery, shot in quiet hospital Rooms. On the other side, older children playful, vibrant, Pose confidently in a public park.

The collaboration with smile train India began with a conversation but quickly became a calling. “When I Started Learning More About Smile Train, I was amazed,” Sohal recalls. “It is not just about correcting a cleft but about building lives.”

Smile Train’s Approach Resonated Deeply With Her. “INTEAD OF Glamor they wanted real, raw, honest storytelling. That was exactly what I also wanted.”

For Komal, Empathy was not just an attitude. It was a technique. “I Never walked in with a big flash or intimidating gear,” She explains. “For the pre-op photos, I used natural light in hospital rooms. No equipment, no flashes. Just light through a dusty window.”

Photo on Display at Knma Exhibition | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Each frame was a result of quint Trust. “I sat beeside the mothers so that their babies would not be scred. I played with the babies, talked to the child, show how the camera worked. It was never just ‘point’ point and shoot. ‘ It was a process of building trust. “

The post-operation portraits were shot at sanjay park, delhi, during a frigid January morning. “The kids were bundled up in warm clothes. But as we played, talked, and warmed up, they relaxed. Horticulture

What strices throughout the exhibition is the absence of color. “I insisted on shooting in black and white. I did not want the distraction of color. The focus has to be on the emotion, the gesture, the gesture, the personality.”

Komal’s aim was to create what she calls “naked portraits”, raw, honest, unfilted. “We live in a world dominated by filters and retouching. I wanted to remind people that beauty lies in truth, not perfection.”

Knma’s Cursion of the exhibition is appealing in that the portraits are grouped not by age or medical history, but by gestures, light and mood. One Wall Features Children with Expressive Hands. Another plays with eye contact. Some are grouped by movement – like Children Playing Ball. It is a small space, but has been used beautiful to evoke maximum emotional impact.

Out of many, komal narrates one moment when a young girl was her portrait for the first time and walked up to the frame, put her cheek aganst it, and just studing there, Holding it. “That image, that moment is what this exhibition is all about,” She says.

At Knma, No. 145, DLF South Court Mall, Near Select Citywalk Mall, SAKET DISTRICT Center, Sector 6, SAKET; Till July 6; 10.30am to 6.30pm; Mondays Closed

Komal Bedi Sohal with Her Collection of Photos on Display at Knma Delhi | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Published – June 26, 2025 05:57 pm IST