Youths hold exhibition for deeper awareness impact

Struggling to raise awareness about the causes of environmental pollution, a group of youths running a website have opened a three-day photo exhibition yesterday with the hope that the visual medium will have a deep impact on people.

A total of 86 photographs were selected through a competition for the exhibition, “Eco Festival 2017”, open from 9:30am to 4:30pm at Bangladesh National Museum in the capital.

The photograph selected for the first prize depicted burning of dried water hyacinth in a village producing huge volumes of black smoke.

The photographer, Kazi Azhar Uddin, a student of Akhaura Shahid Smriti Degree College, Brahmanbaria, said, “It was taken back in December...(it) was not environment-friendly.”

One of the young organisers, Lisun Asib Khan, said, “Most of the environment pollution is being caused by human beings and few people are aware of it. But this exhibition will help to give a little glimpse of how beautiful our environment is and show that it should not be destroyed.”

Ashraf Fahim, a Jahangirnagar University student who came to see the exhibition, commented, “Such a step is a good move for being vocal regarding pollution issues.”  

At the inaugural ceremony of the exhibition, Dr SM Imamul Huq, vice-chancellor, the University of Barisal, said, “Awareness programmes are important but it should not be confined to the city areas but spread to rural areas.”

Addressing the ceremony, Faizul Latif Chowdhury, director general, Bangladesh National Museum, said the many movements concerning the environment and the Rampal power plant proves that the young generation wants to save the environment.

He inspired the young leaders of the website, hoping that they would continue their work.

Lisun said the website environmentmove.com deals with environmental issues and was established in 2014 by Tawhid Hossain who is now doing his PhD in Germany.