“Dhaka”

The art of begging 1

Dhaka -  Although the distinction is sometimes negligible, there are also traders who have something that actually resembles merchandise: children with nets of lemons, towels or bags of popcorn. When I…
Lino Hellings –

Open air restaurant

Dhaka -  The footpath next to the Mohakhali Flyover is a thriving business area. A young man swats away flies from his freshly fried ‘shingaras’ meat pies. …
Shahidul Alam – Flyoverpapa

Friendship

Dhaka -  “Beri Band” the embankment around Dhaka city, where a lot of migrants from the villages end up staying. The photograph of the two men might have sexual overtones in other…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Sleeping like sand

Dhaka -  Kadar moton ghumai literally translates to ‘sleeping like sand’. It is generally used for small children who drape themselves around their mother, sleeping as if the world didn’t exist. These…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Girls in kitchen

Dhaka -  The two girls decided they would be art directors for the day and took me around. At one point we went to the local photo lab to get prints made…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Corner shop cinema

Dhaka -  The corner shop sells pretty much anything you might need on a daily basis. It is also a tea shop. However, to do business you need more, so all the…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

The art of begging 2

Dhaka -  Within a fraction of a second they resume their professional doleful posturing.  …
Lino Hellings –

In anticipation of trouble

Dhaka -  Under the Mohakhali Flyover riot police are on standby in anticipation of trouble since garment workers have called a strike. They work 7 days a week for usd 24 per…
Shahidul Alam – Flyoverpapa

Gasfire

Dhaka -  Gas fire: Throughout Bangladesh is the ubiquitous tea stall selling sweet thick tea. This is where politics, love and the ways of the world are discussed. The fire under a…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Sewage

Dhaka -  Much of the land on either side of the Beri Bandh embankment used to be a swamp, and most homes are built on stilts. The refuse from nearby tanneries and…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Barber shop and pigeons

Dhaka -  Yet another barber shop. I was intrigued by the fact that this doubled as the place where the barber reared his homing pigeons. There were several houses and the pigeons…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Roadside shop

Dhaka -  You need very little to set up a shop. Here a balance and a wicker baskets and some plastic bags, make up the entire furniture. Even what is sold (legs…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

In need of the Qur’an?

Dhaka -  I am in a chic car on my way to the Independent University, where I am to give a lecture. It is Dhaka, Bangladesh and the traffic is stationery more…
Lino Hellings –

Mohakhali Flyover

Dhaka -  The Mohakhali Flyover, acts as a bus station, an open air market. An intercity train heads towards a station near the international airport. Dhaka Bangladesh by Shahidul Alam.…
Shahidul Alam – Flyoverpapa

Rooftop

Dhaka -  With the upper floors of the bazaar demolished, light and rain come through the new openings. Plastic sheets of different colours make up the impromptu rooftop. Nice colours and space…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Mongolian saloon?

Dhaka -  As children we used to talk about Italian Saloons (‘It’ is a brick in Bangla, so these were saloons where you sat on roadside bricks). We also had Mongolian Saloons…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Rayerbazaar: Goddess Kali

Dhaka -  Kali is considered the goddess of time and change. Although sometimes presented as dark and violent, her earliest incarnation as a figure of annihilation still has some influence. Shahidul Alam/Drik/Majority…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Cow on road

Dhaka -  A cow decides to take a leisurely walk along the road. Other traffic simply lets it be, and life goes on as normal.…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Lovers Lane

Dhaka -  Mohakhali Flyover. There are very few places for couples to meet in the crowded city of Dhaka. This is especially so for people with a low income who cannot afford…
Shahidul Alam – Flyoverpapa

Catch up with the news.

Dhaka -  Dhaka Bangladesh ”Beri Band” the embankment around Dhaka city, where a lot of migrants from the villages end up staying. Once preparing meat is over, time to catch up with…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Emerging from the earth

Dhaka -  The precision required in placing the fragile clay pots is difficult to gauge. Once each circle of pots is in position, the men tap the pots to hear for any…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Tabiz

Dhaka -  Most people have a ‘tabiz’. They are usually small pieces of paper with writings from the Qur’an, packed in little tubes or small caskets. They are often tied around the…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Sadek City Model Town: Photo Studio

Dhaka -  Photo studios are generally adorned with pin up of popular movie stars. Often clients request to be photographed as their favourite star. The studio generally has a full complement of…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa