UNC student Arpan Bhandari raises money for Syrian refugees through photography

Two summers ago, Arpan Bhandari was studying abroad in Istanbul, Turkey, when he came across two young Syrian boys jumping off the Galata Bridge into the Bosphorus strait.

He took several pictures, and there was one in particular of the boys diving in that was Bhandari’s favorite.

This photo is one of six that Bhandari has chosen to sell prints of to raise money for Syrian refugees. One hundred percent of proceeds will go directly to the UN Refugee Agency.

Bhandari, a senior political science and religious studies major, launched a similar project a few months ago after the Nepal earthquake. Last week, he got the idea to share a post on Facebook that details his photos for this project.

“They’re all pictures I’ve collected over two or three years now,” he said.

“I chose mostly photos I’ve gotten good responses on, or ones that I’m emotionally attached to.”

Bhandari is the president of Sangam, UNC’s South Asian awareness organization. He said being a part of the group has motivated him to be more active and involved in issues facing other parts of the world.

Sangam’s Secretary of External Affairs, Pratik Patel, said that although Syria does not fall into the eight countries Sangam represents, the organization’s members try to connect and engage with areas outside of South Asia.

“Sangam is filled with members from all around the world,” said Patel, a senior psychology major. “It shows that we’re not just here for South Asia; we want to advocate for everyone in other parts of the world.”

Patel said Bhandari is passionate about everything he does, including this plan to help out Syrian refugees.

“He’s a very talented photographer and artist,” he said. “I do plan on buying a photo from him soon, too.”

Aaratthi Thushyanthan, a UNC graduate and former Sangam member, said she met Bhandari through the organization last year.

“Arpan is probably one of the most creative and talented people I know,” she said. “I think his project for the Syrian refugees is so great and for such a wonderful cause.”

Thushyanthan also said raising awareness for global political situations is often difficult on an individual level, but that Bhandari has found a commendable way to do so.

Bhandari said he hopes to simultaneously raise awareness and money for the refugee situation.

“I know a lot of people who aren’t really aware of what’s going on,” he said.

“Hopefully this will spark interest, even if it’s just someone asking a question about it and learning.”

There is no final monetary goal for Bhandari — he said he just wants to raise as much money as possible in about three weeks, which is the allotted time he has set for selling this particular set of prints.

As for his personal motivation for donating to the refugees, he said he wants to do anything he can do to contribute.

“I mean, just being a fellow human being to me is one of the biggest things,” he said.

“I’m not in a situation where I can do a lot for someone in need, but even the smallest thing is what I can do to try and help them.”

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