Tuesday, March 1 2005 17:52 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: A bunch of enthusiastic children of sex workers of the redlight area of Sonagachi in the metropolis made history, when their work was acclaimed at the prestigious Oscar award ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday (Feb 27,2005) evening.

"We can't believe this, we are very excited," 13-year-old Puja said, when asked how she felt when she saw her work getting the Oscar award.

Puja and seven others in the same age group worked for nearly three years randomly shooting films at different locations in the metropolis. This was edited into the docu-feature 'Born into Brothels' by Manhattan-based Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman for this year's Oscars.

"I was watching the live telecast of the award function on Monday (Feb 28, 2005) morning and as soon as the film was awarded the Oscars for Best Documentary Feature we started celebrating," Puja said.

When asked that how the venture started she said that 'Zana (Briski) Aunty' had come to Kolkata in 2000. After seeing Puja's interest in photography she gave her a camera.

Some other children in her age group were also given cameras and were asked to shoot at will. These shots were later converted into a documentary film by Briski and Kauffmann, which ultimately impressed the Oscar jury.

Immediately after winning the Oscar Briski called Puja up to congratulate and even promised to take her and some of the other children to New York.

"I am very excited about the trip as I love to see new places," Puja said proudly emphasising that most of her pictures were used in the film, which won the Oscar.

When asked about her future plans she promptly said, "I have been interested in photography from the beginning and I want to be a professional photographer when I grow up."

Puja is at present preparing for the final exams of the ninth standard and wanted to continue her studies.

Briski, who had produced and directed the film with Kauffmann, had acknowledged the contribution of Puja and other children while accepting the Oscar statuette saying, "We thank the kids. They are watching in Calcutta."

Briski, a photojournalist, had visited Kolkata with the intention of filming prostitution.

While documenting the experiences of prostitutes in the redlight district, she befriended many of their children and decided to give them cameras to take photos of the world they lived in.

The results were surprising with the children presenting unique and insightful portrayal of their harsh world.