Rags to Scraping the Sky: Vicky Roy Unveils his Trials and Accomplishments

Vicky Roy

I hate stereotypes and generalizations about people or cultures. Not every story that comes out of India is a “Slum Dog Millionaire” one. Well, then again, maybe I spoke too soon. Allow me to introduce to you a rising star on the global photography and art scene, Mr. Vicky Roy. Vicky and I hail from the same part of India, West Bengal, which was a pleasant surprise. I had the opportunity to meet and interview him in person at the Asia Society Texas Center (ASTC) which held an exhibition of his work called Scraping the Sky: Photographs by Vicky Roy.

His story is nothing less than a crazy, dramatic, Bollywood fairytale. Vicky had run away from home as a child, and ended up working as a rag picker in the slums of New Delhi. He fortunately had the chance to participate in a skills training program designed to help children living in the streets, and eventually found his way to an apprenticeship with photographer Anay Mann. His work has since been shown in San Diego, Hong Kong, London, Switzerland, Johannesburg, Athens, NYC, New Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

His photos are stunning and evocative. The ASTC’s description of the exhibit states, “The photos showcase humanity’s unceasing drive to build at great heights by juxtaposing two extremes of architecture: building in the Himalayas and reconstructing the World Trade Center.” Marking the 10th Anniversary of the series, they are being shown for the first time outside of NYC. They simultaneously show man’s ability to strive in the harshest of conditions, and the eternal struggle to overcome adversity.

But as I speak to Vicky in our native tongue, I hear something in the inflections and nuances of his voice that only another Bengali could possibly understand. I begin to see his work in a different and more personal light. His images seem to me, to not just be of the juxtaposition of man vs environment, but of THIS one man vs the unfortunate circumstances he was born into. These photos are a reflection of him. A child of the streets who is now one of the most in-demand photographers of his time, a two-time TEDx speaker, and is included in the 2016 Forbes Asia 30 under 30 list. “We have to think outside the box and not judge people on how they look, dress and speak,” says Roy. Our conversation ended on this note with a million dreams and a passion in his heart to make lives better for the unfortunate kids.

Photos | Courtesy of the artist, © Vicky Roy Photography