Page 441 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

438 ART AND CRAFTS

2.4 Photographers of the Liberation War (Foreign Photographers and
Photojournalists)
During the War of Liberation of Bangladesh many photojournalists of the international
public media were able to take rare photographs in the face of many difficulties. Kishor
Parekh (1930-1982) who was once the chief photographer of the Hindustan Times
recorded the struggle for freedom, and thus for life, of the people of Bangladesh in
1971 which is therefore a unique documentary. He witnessed some horrifying scenes
during the War and photographed them. After the war he compiled a photographic
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album entitled Bangladesh: a Brutal Birth (1972) with these photographs. Don
McCullin (1935- ) the world famous photographer working in the Sunday Times
recorded in his camera the picture of misery of the people in the refugee camps and
along the border. Iranian born photographer Abbas (1943- ) well known for having
worked with Magnum, came to Bangladesh during the War of Liberation driven by his
humanistic views. The famous Japanese journalist, Naoki Usui (1941-2007) arrived in
Bangladesh for news on the war in November 1971. In his reports titled Kono me de
mita Bangladesh (the Bangladesh that I saw with my eyes) his photographs featured the
fig. 10.12 (top) 1971,
raped and abused young refugee camps, camps of freedom fighters, the battle field, victory processions and so
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woman in Mymensingh, forth. ‘To aid and assist Bangladeshis during the War of Liberation working through an
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photograph Naib Uddin NGO many intolerable memories were captured by camera’ [Trans.] by the British
Ahmed, citizen Allen Stephen. Young Japanese photographer Echinuch Taiyo (1947-1973) came
© Naib Uddin Ahmed to the newly liberated Bangladesh in 1971 and recorded the pathetic condition of the
country destroyed by war as well as the passionate joy of victory. Amiya Tarafdar a
fig. 10.13 (bottom) photojournalist of West Bengal entered Bangladesh through the Hilly border in 1971
Abused and killed
young woman: 1971, and took many photographs of the War of Liberation. Robin Sengupta (1930- ) a
photograph winning first photographer of Tripura, India photographed many rare views of the training camps, the
prize in the exhibition expeditions of the freedom fighters, victory etc. from the very beginning of the war with
titled 'Violence against deep involvement. His album entitled Chitra Sambadiker Cameray Muktijuddha (The
Women in South-East Liberation War in the Camera of a Photojournalist) (2000) was published from Dhaka.
Asia' organized by Moreover, Tony McGrath, P. J. Killen, Jill Durrance and some others photographed the
UNESCO on its 50 th War of Liberation. In ‘Chhabimela’ of 2000 organized by Drik – a photographic
anniversary, photograph exhibition entitled Je Juddha Bhule Gechhi (The war we have forgotten) featured many
Rashid Talukder, photographs by famed foreign photographers. Many heart-rending scenes of the war
© Rashid Talukder
were exhibited in the show by Mark Riboud and
David Burnett. Many photographs by Penny Tweedie
and Mary Ellen Mark of the hatred and vengeance of
the freedom fighters against the Razakar and Al-
Badar (collaborators) forces in the newly liberated
country were exhibited for the first time entitled
‘Pratishodh’ (Revenge). Moreover, photographs of
the Liberation War by Raghu Rai, Raymond
Depardon, Bruno Barbey, Michel Laurent, Christian
Simonpietri, Marilyn Silverstone, Mark Godfrey,
Henri Bureau, Bal Krishnan were exhibited at the