"A man can be destroyed but not defeated"
-Earnest Hemingway in the Old Man and the Sea.
A picture speaks volumes -- this proposition has been proved very right on many occasions by many photographers. There are some who go beyond the bounds to make their photographic works stand out and thus they speak as 'voices of the voiceless.' And GMB Akash is one of them as it appears after going through his 'Survivors', a book that is a collection of 60 photos taken by him.
In the introduction of the book, GEO magazine's photography director Ruth Eichorn rightly said: "Looking at Akash's photographs is a heartbreaking experience." That catches the underlying tone of the photos which reflect the deep longing for survival. The struggle for survival, as captured by Akash's camera, also indicates the 'pride and dignity' of the marginalised people in South Asia.
Akash has selected these photos in his book from his grand collection he built up by dint of more than 10 years of his passionate, dedicated and hectic efforts.
Every photo of the book has its own story no doubt. Sewer cleaner Monu Lal's apparently vain look into the open sky provides him a break from his work for some fresh breath. He represents a group who do the 'dirtiest' job and so they are looked down upon by others, especially the privileged section of people in society. Let's come to 11 years old Jewel who casts a disappointed look. His face and body are covered with aluminium dust and that points to the sorry tale of child labour in Bangladesh. Many Jewels like him are forced to work in an unhealthy environment of manufacturing units and exposed to serious health hazards.
Akash says in his own words: "I trace the lives of those whose existence is meant for serving others, rather than themselves. They have no means to break the vicious cycle of poverty they are locked in - or even born into. It's their 'curse' to bear - for a lifetime."
Almost every photo of the collection vividly bears the testimony to the assertion of the photographer. Look at the photo of 10-year-old Shilu who became the only bread earner of her family, doing the hazardous job of separating sand from stones with a big colander in Jaflong area of Sylhet. It is very difficult to resist the tears while looking at the photo closely. The face of Shilu shows her full concentration on the laborious job which is not at all permissible for her. The child's disproportionate struggle to survive in this cruel world instils a sense of guilt into every sensible human being.
Akash's work covers a wide range of people's struggle. He clicked day labourers and small vendors travelling on the rooftops of trains to avoid costs of their travels by risking their lives. The book contains photos of workers at construction sites without any safety arrangement.
Akash travelled across South Asia. He framed the lives of migrant workers pulling chunks of steel from the hulls of old ocean-going ships at a ship breaking yard in Gaddani of Pakistan. His camera captured the pullers of hand-drawn rickshaws in Kolkata. While these rickshaws appear to create an ambience of nostalgic-romanticism for others, Akash's photo tells of the hard fact that the pullers have not enough income to bear the costs of accommodation and garage. So they sleep on the street.
Thousands of people in southern districts of Bangladesh have lost their lives and homes in a single day of 2009 when the cyclone Aila hit the coastal belts. Akash's book depicts few of them and their efforts to survive. He even dared to take photos and listened to stories of sex workers at a brothel in Faridpur by breaking the strong social taboos.
Akash did not stop after releasing his photos and works. He bothered little for appreciation. He has received more than 60 international awards. He is the first Bangladeshi photographer invited to attend some international events. All these awards and appreciation turned him a socially-responsible person who dedicates himself to assisting some of the survivors he photographed. He is contributing 25 per cent of the proceeds from sales of the book directly to assist them in setting up small businesses or creating self-employment opportunities. Akash's this endeavour is simply difficult for him to carry on without any additional support.
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