Dhaka, as the young ones see it

Photographs at the exhibition by Maple Leaf International School

A two-day photography exhibition by Maple Leaf International School (MLIS) ended at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture on November 15. Titled “Look! This is my city”, the exhibition featured 28 photographs by six students -- Atera Farah, Himel Suhita Ali, Nazia Islam, Pooja Paul, Rehnuma Tasnim Sheefa and Shin Mim Sara, all studying in class seven at Maple Leaf.
The photographs showcase lives of the ordinary Dhakaiites. Most of the photographs, shot randomly, depict the amateur photographers' best efforts to explore various aspects of contemporary urban life -- the hardship, inequality, alienation and desperation for survival. Apart from attempts to represent the reality, some photographs feature special moments of bliss.
The exhibition was inaugurated on November 14 by photo editor of the daily Prothom Alo, Nasir Ali Mamun. Also present at the occasion were Munira Morshed Munni, photo editor, DrikNews as the special guest and Ali Karam Reza, vice principal of Maple Leaf.
This was the school's first photography exhibition and was part of a link project between Maple Leaf and the Boxgrove primary school, UK under the Global School Partnership Programme, which aims at establishing social and cultural cooperation between students of different countries.
The photographs were taken during a four month-long special workshop on photography conducted by Maple Leaf from July to October last year. The students were supervised by Azizur Rahim Peu, a photojournalist. At the workshop they were introduced to the basics of photography -- the art of photography, techniques of photo shoot, visual attention, choosing subjects, framing and so on. All the pictures were taken using cheap manual cameras.
The students participating in the workshop were selected based on their creativity, interest in the topic and their ability to come up with a solution to a problem.
“When I took the photographs, I tried my best to capture the reality of the everyday struggles Dhakaiites go through,” said Sheefa. Nine of her photographs were on display at the exhibition. “The life a lot of us, privileged ones, know isn't the real thing. To know the real Dhaka one must observe and acknowledge the city-life on the streets and the not-so-privileged ones striving to ensure three meals a day,'' she concluded.
Sharing her views, Pooja Paul said, “Seeing the camera in my hands some children started doing cart wheels; they looked so happy.” Six of her photos were included in the exhibition. Other photographs included two by Nazia Islam, two by Himel Suhita Ali, four by Atera Farah and five by Shin Mim Sara.
In general the students have learned a thing or two outside the comforts of their protected lives, as they had a chance to interact with people from all walks of life.