Page 469 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

466 ART AND CRAFTS

ability. Dr. Pierre Claquin has photographed the associated activities
of the circus troupes of the country. In the album Surviving Dreams,
the Struggling Circuses of Bangladesh (2003) the documentation
and photographs have been published. The young French
photographer Bruno Ruhf photographed the walls, bill-boards,
signboards as well as various surfaces which have been transformed,
decayed and distorted with time into a variety of abstract
expressions, and presented an exhibition with a difference like an
admixture of painting and photography in 2005 entitled ‘Dhakar
Deyal’ (fig. 10.47).
9.0 Photojournalism in Post-Liberation Bangladesh
Photojournalism began in the fifties in a very limited periphery in
post-liberation Bangladesh. With the modernization of printing
technology and increase in the number of magazines in the sixties,
the field expanded relatively. The photojournalists of the fifties and
sixties of this formative period mostly stayed involved in this
profession in the post-liberation period and contributed to it in
multiple ways.
9.1 Photographers of the Earlier Generation
Among the senior photojournalists Mosharraf Hossain (Lal Bhai)
fig. 10.48 Asiran, Char (1929- ) joined the Saptahik Chitrali in 1961 and worked in various other magazines
Gander Agla, Kurigram, and later joined the Press and Information Department (PID) in 1975 as senior
after the album Living photojournalist and retired in 1995. Mozammil Hossain (1933- ) joined the Observer
in the Fringe, newspaper in 1958 and retired in 1997, after a successful career. Saidur Rahman
photograph Gilles (1908-1998) was the chief photographer of PID. Moazzem Hossain Bulu began his
Saussier,
© Gilles Saussier professional career in the mid-60s by joining Observer. Manu Munshi worked in the
Dainik Purbadesh. Mohammad Alam began his professional life in 1960 and worked
as the war photographer of the Mujibnagar Government during the War of Liberation
and also participated actively in the war. After liberation he left his mark of success
and accomplishment in taking news photographs for the Daily Sangbad and Daily
Ittefaq. Monwar Ahmed began his professional life in 1963 working for the weekly
Purbadesh and Chitrali and gained fame for his photographs. Two of his books on
photography were published, Bhasha Andolaner Sachitra Dalil (1993) compiling
historical photographs of the Language Movement and Sthir Chitrer Rupali Mukh.
Khondakar Kamrul Huda joined the Daily Ittefaq in 1959 and after working at various
organizations he was appointed at the US news organization, Associated Press, as the
first Bangladeshi photojournalist there. Moreover, Akil Khan, Abdul Matin, Umesh
Barua, Zahirul Haque, Mokaddes Ali, Belayet Hossain, Muhammad Kamruzzaman
(awarded the national Ekushey Award for his contribution to photojournalism in
1995), Wase Ansari, Jalal Uddin Haider, Rafiqur Rahman, Kazi Rownak Hossain, Md.
Salauddin, Samsuddin Ahmed Charu, Khaled Haider, Swapan Sarker are the senior