FAKIR at Mirpur 1 Mazar. A fakir or faqir is a Sufi, especially one who performs feats of endurance or apparent magic. Another fakir who seemed more friendly invited me to come back at 7:30 pm for the “iftar” (breaking the fast). The mazar is a place where a Muslim saint was buried and a shrine has been built. Many people come here making wishes and then give alms to the poor, including the fakirs. It also has turned into a place where young street workers hang out.
WHAT IS THE FUTURE for this young Bengali boy? What is he thinking. Somehow, somewhere, sometime someone can give him hope for a future. Is this hope in “Digital Bangladesh?” He is holding a cellphone. Hopefully when he calls out for help, someone will help.
TERESA and Matthias the Miller cousins, cruising on Mazar Road near Mirpur 1 in Dhaka. I took this photo standing up in the rickshaw in front of them, and with the 50 mm lens, this is the best view I could get.
MOTHER WITH CHILD near Mirpur 1. She wanted new clothes for the upcoming holiday or at least some money to feed her child! We visited a Mazar (place where a Muslim Saint was buried) today. Many people come here to say their prayers and to give alms to the poor.
STUDENTS having fun!
RAINY DRIZZLE drives these little boys into the shelter of an idle rickshaw on Assad Ave. This was the posed shot. I didn’t have my camera out of my bag while walking. I spied this shot, my camera, changed lenses, and by that time the little boys, several Towne Hall Coolies, and bystanders had surrounded me. So in this shot they don’t have that curled up position which made me want to capture the photo. Moral of the story: Always have your camera ready. I heard Rule # 1 for capturing good photos, is to always have your camera with you! Obviously, I obeyed that rule, but broke another rule!
GARMENT WORKERS leaving factory in Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh. In Dhaka there are at least 40,000 factories, hiring 2 million workers of which 80-90% are women. A 13 yr. old worker locks herself in the bathroom or goes on the rooftop when the Child Labor inspectors come because she doesn’t want to lose her job. She is the main supporter of her family at $32 per month. They now only like to hire the tall young girls because they look earlier. So, the short young girls can’t find jobs to help support their families.
VEGETABLE STALL at Towne Hall Market where I buy most of our vegetables.
SOME TASTY EGGPLANTS in the making on Shat Moshjid (7 Mosque) Rd.
POMEGRANATES are available at this time in Bangladesh.
YOUNG COUPLE enjoying themselves while waiting in traffic on a busy Dhaka street near the Dhanmondi Pizza Hut. I walked to Pizza Hut to celebrate my birthday with friends. If figured if I walked I would have more opportunities to get some good photos. I was pleasantly surprised to get a call from a friend in Kansas wishing me a “Happy Birthday” while on my rickshaw ride home.
HALIM’S FATHER reminds me of my Grandfathers with the white beard. Maybe I enjoy foreign travel because of my Grandfathers’ influence. My paternal Grandfather traveled to Europe on the “Queen Elizabeth” to visit the land where his ancestors came from. My maternal Grandfather traveled to Germany on a cattleboat, which was delivering a heifer he had donated to the post-war rebuilding efforts.
The Camerist's Collection 