Page 460 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

PHOTOGRAPHY 457

depicted showing the nature of their work and lifestyle. In his album Rural
Bangladesh (1993) M. A. Beg has portrayed the various classes of working people of
Bangladesh who are economically and socially deprived. 103 Noazesh Ahmed has
worked for a prolonged period on the Buddhist way of life. Mainul Alam’s album
Chhabite Bangladesher Jele Jiban O Jibika (2001) portrays the daily life and work of
the fishing community of Bangladesh, Photofeature (August 2002, photographs Mufti
Munir) published by Masline Media Center portrays the different elements of the life
of the bede community. Noukar Pal, Machh Dhara Jal (2004) published by MAP
Photo Agency represents the different professional communities based on the rivers.
The Jatra and Pala groups and people of the different religions, castes and
communities dependent on cultural activity are also important themes of our
photography. The lifestyle of the vaishnava and baul communities dispersed all over
Bangladesh with their songs of spiritualism and philosophy have also been
sporadically captured by a number of photographers. There is a definite need for
photographic documentation of the way of life of the people engaged in different
professions and activities.
6.3 Society and Humanism
Taking up the social responsibility of art, a trend of photography has developed in
Bangladesh which is nourished by humanism and desirous of social awareness and
social change. There are two clear trends in this field. One trend shows the artist driven
by personal awareness and in the other, the artist is involved in this field by being part
of the activities and projects of various social and voluntary development organizations.
A major theme of our photography is the life of the people endangered by flood,
drought, storms, etc., natural disasters, their hunger and poverty and the circle of
various social deprivations and wants.
Alongsides this, the struggle for existence and glorious story of life within this reality
is expressed in a variety of ways in our photography. In many intelligent photographs
social-economic and political causes behind the miseries and deprivations of people
have also been identified. Amanul Haq has expressed the struggle for existence of the
people of this country with a positive and humanitarian objective. 104 The landless,
rootless, under-privileged and suffering humanity has been sharply pictured in
Shamsul Islam Almajee’s camera. Dr. Shahidul Alam’s pictures have stressed the mass
movement of 1982-1990 as well as various social issues. Including the slum-dwellers
of the Dhaka metropolis, the daily life and struggle of the uprooted people in various
parts of the country and its many sub-human conditions have been intensely focused
in our photography. Numerous photographs of these social and humanitarian issues
have found a place in the publications of various voluntary NGOs.
6.4 Child Life and Child Rights
Many photographers have worked on the issues of child life, rights and labor on personal
initiative or for different NGOs. ‘Alokchitra Shilpi Samsad’ of Mymensingh has
organized a number of national competitions and exhibitions on child life from 1979. In