Talented young photographer shows that even with disabilities, sky’s the limit

Renowned artist Jimmy Engineer speaks highly of 17-year-old Farrukh Mughal’s work.

KARACHI:

Farrukh Mughal may have physical disabilities but he has shown that it won’t let him get in the way of his passion - photography. The depth and detail found in every moment the ambitious 17-year-old self-trained photographer captured, deserves to be acknowledged and appreciated.

In a society where people with disabilities aren’t given a chance to explore their passion and may be led to believe that they can’t amount to much, it was a treat to see a jam-packed hall at the Pearl Continental Hotel on Friday. There, a boy full of talent was given a chance to show the world what he is capable of.

“Farrukh is a very talented child. He puts his heart, mind and soul into his photography and that is pretty evident in his work. His photographs are beautiful,” said renowned artist Jimmy Engineer, the chief guest. “He has a passion for this art. When the camera is in his hands, he takes hundreds of pictures of the same thing - this is the quality of a good photographer.”

Engineer admits that not many photo exhibitions are organised in Pakistan and more of them are needed. “This is a great event. We need to bring this kind of talent out in front of the public - the public must know [children with disabilities] have talent,” he said. “We need to encourage such children so that they can achieve whatever they want.” Engineer is sure that with the skills Farrukh has, he will become a renowned Pakistani photographer and because of the event, he will gain more confidence.

The exhibition displayed photographs of everyday life and nature: architecture, cars, traffic, flowers, ordinary people including a maid and a vegetable vendor.

“I love doing this,” said Farrukh, who also plays the keyboard and is currently taking French classes. “I like the picture with the boat and sunset the most,” he added with a shy smile on his face. His family was also present at the exhibition and they couldn’t be prouder of their youngest family member. “We have never discouraged him from doing what makes him happy. And today, he has made us very proud,” said Farrukh’s sister and designer Tabasum Mughal. The consul general of the Republic of Korea, Chang-hee Lee and consul general of Germany, Hans Juergen Paschke, also turned up to encourage Farrukh. “When I heard this was happening, I was mesmerised. And when I came here and saw the turn out, I couldn’t believe it,” said Paschke. “The kind of family support I witnessed was amazing. To encourage such a child and tell him that he can do anything is great.”

“The pictures are fascinating because they are presented by such a young artist,” he continued. “He has captured the world how he sees it and is telling people the story through his photographs.”  Other guests present to support the cause were model Rubya Chaudhry and TV host Kiran Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2013.