04 Oct 2011 Narsindgi: Sacrificial animals stand on the local van named Vatvoti heading to the cattle market in Narshandi District. Bangladesh will celebrate Eid-ul-Azha one of the biggest religious festivals in the country. I took thes picture on the way to Narsindgi District where people buy their sacrificial animals two days remaining Eid-ul-Azha.
What of the photography made out of nothing ? What about painting with light? Is it photography ? Surely if we can paint with dreams,create the morning mist or the afternoon glow. Is it face? Hardly. Whatever else may be false in this tenuous existence of ours, imagination is not. All that we value, that we strive to uphold, all that gives us strength,has been made of dreams,and we must dream on. If pixels be the vehicle that realizes our dreams,be it so.
-Pedro Meyer, celebrated Mexican photographer
The biggest Asian photography festival Chobi meal vi kicked off in Dhaka with a vow to fight against injustice around the world. A number of photographers with their cameras march from National Press Club to inauguration venue at National Theatre Auditorium, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Six representative six continents inaugurated the festival Chobi Mela VI, by lighting candelas at exhibition hall.Festival director Shahidul Alam said to media, ” I dream that Chobi Mela will play a role in re-writing the history of photography”.
Dhaka January 2011. The biggest Asian photography festival Chobi Meal VI kicked off in Dhaka with a vow to fight against injustice around the world.Copy Right:Monirul Alam
Some of the biggest name in International photography, including Pedro Meyer (Mexico), Morten Krogvold (Norway), Robart Plege (UK/ France) and Chris Rainier ( Canada) in the inaugural venue. With 29 exhibition featuring over 400 images by photographers from 31 contraries ; 33 digital presentation; 9 workshops conduct by seasoned photographers, mobile exhibitions on 10 rickshaw vans.
Achievement Awards conferred at the inaugural program this year three personalities from different continents- Naib Uddin Ahmed ( Asia/Bangladesh), J.D.Okhai Ojeikere ( Africa/Nigeria) and Pedro Meyer (North America/Mexico) received the awards.
Dhaka January 2011.Six representative six continents inaugurated the festival Chobi Mela VI, by lighting candelas at exhibition gallery.Copy Right:Monirul Alam
Among the Bangladeshi photographers , Debashish Shome, Munem Wasif and Sayed Asif Mahmud will participant at the festival with their respective stories- Dhaka: My Dreams, My reality. Salt Waters Tears and My City of Uhheard.
Chobi Mela was first held in 2000. The festival Chobi Mela VI will continue till February 3,2011.
Dhaka, Bangladesh. December 28 2010 - Festival director Shahidul Alam speaks a pre-event press conference at Drik Gallery.The Chobi Mela VI - International Festival of Photography will be held from 21 January to 3 February, 2011 in Dhaka Bangladesh. Copy Right:Monirul Alam
South Asian bigest evnt of the Chobi MelaVI – International Festival of Photography will be held from 21 January to 3 February, 2011 in Dhaka Bangladesh and will present the work of creative artists participating from 30 countries. Please see all details . . .
A peacock mutates from a princely pet to a goddess blurring boundaries between reality and illusion reinventing the Panchatantra (Indian animal fables in prose and verse) for the 21st century. Festival theme photo from the "India Song" exhibition by Karen Knorr UK/Puerto Rico, Courtesy of Tasveer.Chobi Mela VI to Open a Portal to a Restive World of Dreams
“All that we value, that we strive to uphold, all that gives us strength, has been made of dreams”
Dhaka, Bangladesh. 28 December, 2010: The Chobi Mela VI – International Festival of Photography will be held from 21 January to 3 February, 2011 in Dhaka Bangladesh and will present the work of creative artists participating from 30 countries. The festival with its theme “Dreams” is designed to be a birthplace of ideas, and a crossover meeting point for many artists. It will open a portal to a mystical world of images showcasing new trends in photography and bringing to the fore issues of our troubled world.
The unique festival will be launched on the 21 January, 2011 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Parallel exhibitions will be held at Alliance Francaise, The Asiatic Gallery of Fine Arts, The British Council, Drik Gallery, The Goethe-Institut and the Lichultala at Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University. In congruence with the exhibitions there will be 8 workshops, 2 portfolio reviews and a week-long discussions, seminars and lectures at Goethe-Institut Auditorium that will initiate debates and discussions on issues central to contemporary photographic practice.
The main attraction on the 22 January at Goethe-Institut will be a video conference with Dr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor, International Criminal Court. In this position, his mandate is to select and trigger investigations and prosecutions of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The first Chobi Mela festival (Dec.1999-January 2000) was launched by Drik and Pathshala South Asian Media Academy to fill the need for a forum for sharing work and ideas, a platform for debate that was missing on this side of the globe. This inaugural festival focused on ‘Differences’ in the world we live in and in a sense was prophetic. The twin towers disaster followed and buried beneath the rubble the freedoms that the world has since lost. “In a world ravaged by war, to turn to ‘Dreams’ after ‘Differences’, ‘Exclusion’, ‘Resistance’, ‘Boundaries’ and ‘Freedom’ is to return to what holds us together in the face of all our obstacles, the focus of all our longings. In a vastly unequal world, it is our insistence on justice and our ability to ride the waves, which still keeps us dreaming,” says Shahidul Alam, Festival Director and Managing Director of Drik. “I dream that Chobi Mela will play a role in re-writing the history of photography, and correcting the extremely Eurocentric version of history that is currently propagated.”
Dhaka, Bangladesh. December 28 2010 - Photographer's and media persons attend at a pre-event press conference at Drik Gallery. Copy Right:Monirul Alam
Many bodies of work that went on to become well known were first shown in Chobi Mela. Considered to be the most demographically inclusive photo festival and the resulting pollination has led to many exciting exchanges, and given rise to several new festivals in the region for which Chobi Mela has been the catalyst.
Ensuring the general public’s access is an important part of the festival and admission for the festival is free. Mobile exhibitions on rickshaw vans are now a trademark of the Chobi Mela festivals. The festival provides an opportunity not only to enjoy the outstanding work of national and international photographers but also raises important social issues critical to our existence.
Dhaka city is now like turning human sea home bound people madly rush on the bus,train and launch station for celebrating country’s second biggest religious festival Eid-Ul-Azha. Number of cattle market occupied on the main road traffic system is already collapse but people not to stop just moving and moving. I think they are determined to go to their village and celebrate Eid with their loved ones.
Tongi Station. November 2010. Hundreds of homebound passenger crowd the roofs of train risking their lives to meet their kins and share the joy of Eid festivity.Copy Right:Monirul Alam
We just wait at Tongi rail station to take photos for our news coverage. I look around on the station number of people is waiting for train. The commuter train will be come from Dhaka station and go to other district. I see a few of garments worker just sitting on the station, I talked with them, Salma Begum said, The train was supposed to be here at 4.30 pm, now it’s 6.20 pm but not to arrive we just waiting hour and hour’s but we are happy to go to my house, like Salma thousand of train passengers waited for long time.
When the train is arrive on the station I just look, it is already full of passenger inside and roof of the train while I see Salma just left her shoes and thrown the train roofs and than she climbs up on the train roofs, I think it is risking journey for her but Salma is smiling me and say good bye bhaiya Eid Mubarak. I took many pictures of Salma and her friends. Within a few minutes the train is left from the station at the same time I leave on the station and started my motor bike to returning my office news editor have been waiting for my picture . . .
“Good photojournalists are always moving. First identify your subjects then point your camera to find a dramatic angles, otherwise your photos like a blah pictures.” I recorded many times as an eyewitness. My main interest lies in documentary storytelling focusing on global issues . . .
Photo: Anisur Rahman
Monirul Alam born in Old Dhaka 1975. He took up photography in 1994. After completing his Bachelors in Accounting from the National University, he went on to graduate from Pathshala, the South Asian Institute Media Academy.
Monirul currently works as a deputy chief photojournalist in The Daily PROTHAM ALO newspaper.
His main interest lies in depth PHOTOJOURNALISM- works as a front lines photojournalist with concerning global issues. He passionate with writing like POEM, JOURNAL,FEATURE . . .
His work has been published in prestigious national and international publications, such as National Geographic On Line Version,The Guardian, Time Magazine,Time Light Box, TIME Lens Blog, Newsweek,Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, New Internationalist, Saudi Aramco World,The Daily Prothom Alo, DrikNews,The Daily Star,The Observers France 24,100 Eyes Magazine,Private Magazine,ZUMA PRESS,Majority World,AP, AFP, EPA,Photojournale, Corbis Images, The Click,Icone Films ( Animal Planet Channel), Wostok Press,Bangla Rights etc.
He is the recipient of several awards in a number of photography competitions such as Asahi Shimbun,Young Portfolio Japan K*MoPA,, Nikon Photo Contest and India Print Circuit IIPC, National and Club Level Photography Contest.
Copy Right Notice:
All images and text in this site is copyrighted.
MONIRUL ALAM 