SoFoBoMo 2009: A Slice of Life.
Its done.
You can view it- Here at Issuu
- Or here at sofobomo.org
- A quick preview of the book is the bottom of this page.
- Or download the PDF fileand view it at leisure…[click the link at left, and save the file to your PC once it has downloaded completely]
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A small slice of life from Dhaka, Bangladesh.The photos are from….The Whole-sale Market at Karwan Bazar at early morning . Slushy and smelly. Buzzing with activity. The fish traders, buyers, helpers, hanger-ons, innocent bystanders, trucks, rickshaws, three-wheelers and the crowd… Fish, veggies, fruit, chicken, goats, and probably some other items too. Vendors crushing fresh sugarcane and the sherbet-sellers doing brisk early morning business. ‘Paan’ (betel leaf) and cigarette vendors carrying trays of their wares slung from straps around their necks. The chicken butchers doing their job right there out on the street with blood, feathers and innards all over the place.A commonly used ‘by-pass’ or shortcut to the airport from the city, passes along the rail tracks where many old rusting rail wagons have been used as temporary housing by the homeless and small ‘bastis’ or make-shift homes made from bamboo, plastic sheeting and thatch had sprung up years ago. The kids play along the tracks, and the adults bring back drinking water in discarded plastic bottles from nearby facilities. Local trains carrying commuters and villagers bring in farm produce to sell in the city markets…. People ride atop the trains, sometimes because there is no space inside, sometimes because its cooler on top, its free on top and because its just cool - for the kids – to be riding on top and running on the roof and jumping from coach to coach. The children wanted their photos taken. They kept poking their heads into the frame when I tried to photograph something else. Had to shoo them away. They’d come back. We decided to move on elsewhere. The kids wanted ‘some money please’. I said NO. They insisted. I asked them what they would do with the money, the youngest said he’d buy lolly-pops. The older girl almost whacked him over the head, and said no it was so they could buy some food. We gave them some money as we got into the car and I guess they went running off to the nearest shop for some candy.Then, another day. A wild goose chase to find the place where local Sarees are dyed in brilliant colors. Drove for hours looking for Sarees in brightly dyed colors being hung out to dry. I’ve seen these before too and the image in my minds-eye was clear. …rainbows of fabrics. We drove and drove… but there was no sign of any such place. Industrialization has wiped out or driven these local dyeing units further away…. who knows. or …maybe I just took the wrong back-road. We turned back, parked below the Jatrabari bridge on the Buriganga and walked to the top. Another slice of life here. Sand-boats being unloaded by laborers carrying the sand in wicker baskets, long-tailed house-boats, barges, vendors carrying aluminum pots and pans on a bamboo pole, a guy selling deer-skin, snake-skin, tortoise shell, horns, dried intestines, dried sinews, claws and teeth – for medicinal purposes and as aphrodisiacs with a crowd of curious onlookers [including some small kids!] watched this from a high vantage point on the bridge, looking down at the going-ons.These images are just small bits of time.The real chunks need to be experienced, in large slices.BANGLADESH!
You’ve made a very cool book! For me, Bangladesh has now become an interesting place.
Thank you Graham.
Am enjoying browsing your book too. Super aircraft shots, and the closing image of the passenger – well – just brilliant.
Great shots! Especially loved the shots of Karwan Bazaar which seemed alive by its bustling market, fresh fishes and lively faces.
Glad you enjoyed the bits from Karwan Bazaar, Nabila. Looking back, it was the most interesting locale to photograph at.
While I gushed about how much I love your book in a private e-mail, I realized that I had not yet sent public kudos. I hope you are able to take a day or two to simply revel in the accomplishment. To think that at one point you talked about giving up. We are all so grateful that you didn’t. Your work in this book is stand-out terrific.
Thanks Anita, yes I did get your email and now your message here. Much appreciate the appreciation! I enjoyed making this book, the process especially. And I have to thank a very good friend for dragging me out each early morning “while the light is nice”.. and she is not an early morning person
so here are extra extra thanks to Ujwala.
@anil
you know i enjoyed the outings and hopefully i can put a book together before the month is up….
that wasn’t necessary
superb book …..great portraits , you have a good sense of composition ………. I look forward to your next book.
Anthony
Ireland
Ujwala
You are right, I was up and ready to go each morning without a complaint. No one had to drag me out really….
Anthony
Thanks.
I really enjoyed your book! You take photographs of people very, very well. It was so wonderful to look at each scene – the sights and colors and the expressions on the faces.
Thanks Martie!
Anil, I am sooooo impressed with the book, I can’t describe in words. Very vivid glimpses of everyday life in Dhaka, which seems so commonplace otherwise.
Cheers.
Kanwal
Thanks for looking, and glad you enjoyed it.
[...] is done. Completed on 7th June. The excitement and fun of doing the project have been savoured and enjoyed. So, what does one do [...]
Greetings from Portland, Oregon. Serendipity led me to your book Anil. Thank you for sharing your beautiful work. I especially loved the images on page 53 and the cover image. I wonder if I might have your permission to use your image (with credit and link of course) for my blog? best regards! maggie
Hello Maggie
Thanks for the appreciation.
You may certainly use those 2 images at your blog.
Anil
[...] she was “partner in crime” assisting me in the cover design and book layout, then in 2009 we both shot together for 3 days at various locales in Dhaka [for completely separate and very [...]