KARACHI: A year ago today, Abdul Sattar Edhi, one of the country’s most iconic personalities passed away at the age of 88 of kidney failure. Despite his celebrity, however, Edhi Sahib led a humble life dedicated to those on the margins. So it’s only fitting that the photo exhibit which opened on Friday at the Alliance Francaise, Edhi’s World — commemorating Edhi’s death anniversary — focuses not on the globally-renowned humanitarian himself, but on those he spent his life helping.

French photographer and writer Oriane Zerah, who is currently based in Karachi but has worked in other countries in the region such as Afghanistan and India, has captured the everyday moments of those who seek the services of the many Edhi centres around the country. All the photos, in black and white, add a sombre and nostalgic touch to their subjects.

Zerah has chosen to capture many of her subjects in moments of stillness or poignancy: a drug addict stares mournfully out the window at an Edhi rehabilitation centre encapsulating the desire to escape a trapped life; a woman at a shelter in Korangi looks pensively at a collection of plastic canisters; children, ensconced in a patterned blanket, sleep peacefully at one of Edhi Foundation’s orphanages.

In other pictures, people have been snapped in camaraderie or action. A group of women are busy chatting and brewing tea in the kitchen at a shelter for women with mental disorder and physical disability; a girl at one of Edhi Foundation’s orphanages, captured in a close-up, embroiders a portrait of the famous humanitarian; a group of drug addicts, huddled together, rest at a rehabilitation centre.

One of the most haunting photos, of a cot placed in an Edhi shelter meant for people to place their unwanted children in, is bereft of a human subject but speaks volumes about humanity and the taboos in society that Edhi and his team had to navigate.

The photographer points out that the inspiration for her exhibit came from one of Edhi’s most-quoted comments. “‘No religion is higher than humanity’ was the key tenet of Edhi, and those working with him,” she says. “In a country that is defined by its religious identity, in which the fundamentalists are trying to impose their vision, Edhi never gave up. His dream was to make Pakistan a model of social revolution.”

If this is what Zerah intended to do, to capture the humanity Edhi spent his lifetime serving, then she succeeded. Her monochromatic work gives a face to the many voiceless and marginalised people for whom Edhi was a hero.

Edhi’s World will run till July 14.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2017