Bishwabhara Pran
National minority people in frames
Life of ethnic minority people always stirs great curiosity among the urban people. They thrill us with their challenging lifestyle and at the same time also charm us with the simplicity of their being. Three photographers have travelled to the remotest parts of Bangladesh to capture glimpses of the life of these people. What they have caught on their cameras truly transmits the essence of their lives, their closeness to nature and of course their heart-warming originality.
An ongoing photography exhibition at Drik Gallery in the capital titled Bishwabhara Pran features 55 photographs by MA Muhit, Onu Tareq and Enam Ul Haque. The photography exhibition has been organised by Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club in observance of International Day of World’s Ethnic Minority Peoples, which fell on Saturday.
The photos on display not only show the lives of ethnic minority people but also the breathtaking beauty of Bangladesh. A shot taken by Muhit shows a small boat with two boatmen on waters that reflect the green mountains that surround the waterway. After seeing the photo, you have to pause for a moment in silent gratitude that there are still brooks in this country that look fresh, its beauty unblemished. Photographer Onu in a photo has captured a little ethnic minority girl playing in the sunlight. No video games, X-boxes or any other costly gaming instruments, the little girl simply uses a bamboo stick to jump higher like the athletes are seen doing in the Olympics.
Enam, on the other hand, has captured an old man sitting helplessly on a field as though he is waiting for someone or something. The image tells the story of the general ethnic minority people of the country who live in utter poverty, but what makes the photo special is the expression of the old man which still has traces of simplicity and innocence.
‘I have taken the photographs while visiting different districts of our hill tracks region and wanted to share them with the urban people,’ said MA Muhit, who is also a noted mountaineer, to New Age.
The exhibition, which began on August 8, will remain open from 3:00 to 8:00pm till August 15.
-With New Age input
