The 2018 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Feature Photography
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Posted:Apr 23, 2018 8:45 pm
Last Updated:May 2, 2018 5:38 am 21690 Views
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Rohingya crisis and Duterte’s war : Images that won Reuters Pulitzer Prizes in the international reporting and feature photography categories:
Reuters won two prizes in a year for the first time. “The Philippines coverage included a report that revealed how a police anti-drug squad on the outskirts of Manila had recorded an unusually high number of killings. Many members of the squad came from a distant place that was also Duterte’s hometown, where the campaign’s brutal methods originated during his time as mayor there.”
Appended the Shocking photographs that exposed the world to the violence Rohingya refugees faced in fleeing Myanmar.
Details:
1.An exhausted Rohingya refugee woman touches the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal, in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh September 11, 2017. Image by: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
2.Hamida, a Rohingya refugee woman, weeps as she holds her 40-day-old after he died as their boat capsized before arriving on shore in Shah Porir Dwip, Teknaf, Bangladesh, September 14, 2017.
Images by: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters
3.Rohingya refugees cross the Naf River with an improvised raft to reach to Bangladesh in Teknaf, Bangladesh, November 12, 2017. Picture taken November 12, 2017.
Image by: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters
4.Rohingya refugees are reflected in rain water along an embankment next to paddy fields after fleeing from Myanmar into Palang Khali, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh November 2, 2017
Images by:Hannah McKay/Reuters
5.Rohingya siblings fleeing violence hold another as they cross the Naf River along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Palong Khali, near Coxís Bazar, Bangladesh November 1, 2017.
Images by: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
6.An exhausted Rohingya refugee fleeing violence in Myanmar cries for from others crossing into Palang Khali, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh November 2, 2017.
Image by: Hannah Mckay/Reuters
7.People gather under heavy rain around bodies of Rohingya refugees after the boat they were using to flee violence in Myanmar capsized off Inani Beach near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh September 28, 2017.
Image by: Damir Sagolj/Reuters
8.Betel leaves cover the face of 11-month-old Rohingya refugee Abdul Aziz whose wrapped body lay in his family shelter after he died battling high fever and severe cough at the Balukhali refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, December 4, 2017.
Image by: Damir Sagolj/Rueters
. Smoke is seen on the Myanmar border as Rohingya refugees walk on the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal, in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh September 11, 2017
Image by: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
10.Mohammed Shoaib, 7, who was shot in his chest before crossing the border from Myanmar in August, is held by his father outside a medical centre near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh November 5, 2017
Image by: Adnan Abidi/Rueters
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Asifa and her Horses
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Posted:Apr 17, 2018 11:32 pm
Last Updated:Apr 30, 2018 3:42 pm 21512 Views
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While Asifa rests in peace now, her Forty Plus horses could still be seen grazing in the meadows and forests far away from her village where she lived with her parents!
Asifa was a lovely of India.
She loved her parents’ horses, played with her elder sister sometimes while grazing them in the meadows and forests!
Born a nomad and died a nomad.
Her 8 year old frail and numerous scar marked body now rests in peace in a grave far away from the village where she grew up and her parents lived as her abductors did not allow her parents to bury her there.
Her only crime apparently was that she was born in Narendra Modi’s communal India but was not one of them!
Her parents practice a different faith not liked by Modi’s party men! Asifa paid dearly for not being one of them!
She was abducted while she was grazing her horses by a retired Government official named Sanji Ram and others, who kept her confined in a Hindu temple located in Kathua for several days starved, sedated, and gang *d repeatedly until her abductors finally strangled and battered her with a hard stone to death.
Deepak Khajuria, special police officer, was the last person who fulfilled his lust before Asifa was brutally murdered and her dead body was removed from the temple and left in the nearby place to rot and devoured by the vultures!
If any of the readers would like to learn more about this sad and heartbreaking story, he or she may go to twitter and look for Asifa. Interested readers could also Google Asifa for latest news.
What is most painful is that Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, did not condemn this barbaric act until very recently, which his party men have been trying to cover up since January, 2018!
Being born in the undivided British Indian sub-continent, I feel so sad for this great land where people practicing different faiths lived side by side peacefully for centuries until the last foreign rulers introduced divide and rule policy to govern the land!
May I request my readers just to shed a drop of tears for this unfortunate of India who has finally found a place there to rest in peace!
Asifa, Rest in Peace.
Photos:
1. Asifa
2. Deepak Khajuria
3. Sanji Ram
4. Dead Asifa and her Horses.
5. Asifa's elder sister, Manega seen with the horses.
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Bangla New Year 1425
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Posted:Apr 14, 2018 5:27 am
Last Updated:May 6, 2018 12:03 am 20789 Views
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May I wish everyone a happy Bengali New year 1425.
Pahela Baishakh (April 14) is the first day of the first month Baishakh of Bengali Calendar.
The country’s biggest cultural festival is on since early morning today. The day was welcomed with a call for Bangalees to remember their self-identity in this era of globalization.
The celebrations of Pahela Baishakh have become an integral part of Bangladeshis since it began over six centuries back.
Here in Dhaka, Men, wearing panjabi-pyjama, women wearing saree with red borders and with colorful dresses thronged the traditional Mongol Shovajatra { a mass procession that takes place at dawn on the first day of the Bengali New Year in Bangladesh) to mark the day with festivities.
Here below, readers could view Ten of the many thousands pictures taken until now of the celebrations:
Photo #10 depicts Artistes drawing a 1.5km-long graffiti at Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka on Friday night to usher in Bangla New Year 1425. Photo: Prabir Das
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The Sound of Flute
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Posted:Apr 6, 2018 12:20 am
Last Updated:Nov 22, 2023 9:12 pm 19503 Views
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As my day comes to an end,
And the evening approaches stealthily,
I ponder
With whom I should leave you, my beloved
As my day comes to an end?
I could still hear the familiar tune
Poignant with pain of parting
That was played so many times
On the joyous days of spring
And on the rainy monsoon nights,
As my day comes to an end
Everything that I shared with you
Would disappear
Just like those stars of night sky
And like those Coral Jasmine of autumn
Lying on the ground in each morning untouched!
D, the sound of the flute would no more be heard when my day will finally end. You would not even know how and when the day ended as you would be busy then to tell someone as you did many times before about a foolish person who had believed in unconditional love! Perhaps I don’t need to leave you with anyone as you have already chosen one to amuse yourself again!
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A few words on retreating Himalayan glaciers!
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Posted:Mar 29, 2018 11:33 am
Last Updated:Dec 18, 2018 8:48 pm 15312 Views
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Could it be true that the most glaciers located in Mount Everest region would disappear completely or drastically retreat within the current century due to gradual increase of the temperature level with climatic change that is being experienced by all living objects throughout the world now?
Researchers says that the glaciers in the Himalayan and Hindu Kush regions where world’s tallest mountain peaks including Mount Everest are located would be drastically affected by the ongoing Climate change which is man made.
The signals that are now being received by the inhabitants of these areas support what the researchers have been predicting so long!
More than thirty thousand sq, km of Himalayan Region is covered by the glaciers. This particular region has the largest amount of glaciers after the Polar Ice Caps. Some of these glaciers constantly feeding the great rivers like the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Indus, the Yangtze, the Yellow, the Salween and the Mekong since time immemorial!
Increase in the temperature would affect estimated 5500 glaciers of these particular regions gradually but surely. The upward trend in temperature change would reduce these glaciers’ volume 70%-99% by the end of the Twenty First Century! And if the temperature level continues to go upward gradually, then we shall observe continued and accelerated mass loss from the affected glaciers.
More than two thirds of the Himalayan glaciers are reportedly retreating rapidly due to man made reasons causing current climate change. The global climate change has pushed temperatures in the Himalayan mountain glaciers significantly close to melting points! The impacts of fast retreating glaciers everywhere in the world would be devastating for all sorts of life forms.
While the river discharge of water from these glaciers would increase in the short term causing frequent floods, in the long run water supplies in these regions will be in great peril and the impact to agriculture for both will be immensely felt by the people living in these regions. The impacts to agriculture could be as follows:
(a) Soil loss due to soil erosion,
(b) Landslides due to repeated floods,
(c) Temperature increase.
(d) Other
The rivers mentioned at above are the life lines of the people of the countries of these regions namely India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and many other East Asian Countries. It is impossible even to imagine what would happen to the billions of inhabitants of these countries if the glaciers disappear completely from the Himalayan Region due to global warming which may melt them completely!
I feel that my readers have right to know why have I decided to upload this particular blog on global warming when leaders of some of the most powerful nations of the world do not give the problem any importance. Here is my answer: I live in one of the countries of the Himalayan region already affected by global warming to some extent. I have also been requested online recently by one of my relatives living abroad to share the under noted message posted on a yellow note sheet (pic #2) with people I know.
Thank you all.
Sources: Various articles on internet.
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Cherry blossoms time in Tokyo, Japan
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Posted:Mar 27, 2018 9:55 am
Last Updated:Apr 24, 2018 11:50 pm 14891 Views
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Spectacular Cherry blossoms do attract Japanese and tourists alike!
It is spring time now in Japan---time for visiting parks to see the spectacular cherry blossoms! Japanese are ready for “hanami” (Japanese word for "flower viewing").
The cherry trees are now in full bloom. The delicate pink and white flowers could be seen everywhere in Tokyo. However, in the northern part of Japan, the trees are expected to be in full bloom later according to dedicated websites that faithfully forecast the expected blooming times every year.
The Tokyo bloom period is expected to end on April 1 and after that the delicate flowers would gradually die away.
In the furthest north part of Japan, the cherry trees are yet to be in full bloom! The h of the cherry blossom season in this part is expected to be in the end of April.
Interested readers may please view the photos posted below to enjoy the spectacle!
Source : Internet.
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Abode of Love!
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Posted:Mar 24, 2018 7:35 am
Last Updated:Nov 7, 2023 3:26 am 14354 Views
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Just a monologue remembering someone gone with the southern Breeze!
Do you remember the day when you pretended to enter into the abode of love?
The day when I offered the southern breeze my enchanted and wandered heart
--my unchained spirit!
The trees around in full bloom lent color to my brimming and reasonless joy and made those bright.
Remember the times of full moon evenings and the tuberoses when the swaying pines used to chase away the blues of my melancholy nights and lured me to take a plunge in the ocean of beauty!
On the wings of the butterflies, my boundless dreams glittered and the serene moonlights had blended my Joys and sorrows to completion!
Now in the secret and lonely chamber of my heart, you still reside on the bedstead.
And I would continue to offer the pleasant breeze in exchange for nothing!
Inspired by my favorite poet!
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First Day of spring brings color in life
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Posted:Feb 16, 2018 10:05 pm
Last Updated:Mar 14, 2018 2:55 am 14354 Views
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The day when we mingle with nature!
It is spring time now here in my country.
The people of Bangladesh have since welcomed this year “Pahela Falgun”, the first day of the spring according to Bengali Calendar, clad in brightly colored (mostly yellow, orange and red) dresses on February 13, 2018 last.
Thousands of young men and women had started gathering in the festival places from the morning and celebrated the day singing songs, reciting poems and dancing.
Falgun is the eleventh month in the Bengali calendar (First day of the month usually falls on Feb 13 of the Gregorian calendar).
We have six seasons in this part of the world. Among them, spring is considered as the king when birds start to sing and dance in the warm sunshine, colorful flowers bloom in the gardens and in the wild, and nature takes a new look throughout the country.
Spring lasts here until middle of April.
Appended are some photos of young men and women, boys and girls, dressed in mostly yellow and red, some of them also adorned themselves with spring flowers such as Shimul, Polash and Marigold for welcoming the day.
Photos of wild spring flowers are also posted for the viewers to see and enjoy.
Sources: The Daily Star and The Daily Sun
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Artwork of a girl in her early teens!
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Posted:Feb 12, 2018 4:58 am
Last Updated:Jan 20, 2023 2:33 am 14172 Views
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When she was born, little could I imagine that God has send another girl to our family with an inborn capacity to draw or almost reproduce anything that she could imagine or view from time to time on a piece of paper when she was passing joyfully the fourth year of her life with us and was growing up.
It never occurred to me that my eldest granddaughter would be a born Artist like her aunt whose framed paintings she viewed hanging on the walls of our house where she lived with her parent during this period of time.
My did not like to be a professional artist. Instead, she preferred to study architecture at an Engineering University of repute and became a professional architect! However, her paintings could still be seen hanging on the walls of our house along with the artworks of her little niece who is now in her late teens!
I take this opportunity to upload here on my blog page one photo of my granddaughter’s recent paintings for you to view and comment on. You may feel free to let me know your views on the painting which could be either positive or negative! I shall be happy to read your comments!
Thanking you in anticipation.
1. Street scene
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The Container House
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Posted:Feb 5, 2018 9:26 am
Last Updated:Feb 25, 2018 6:16 am 13863 Views
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Just look at the photo of the colorful structure posted below (Photo # 1).
Could anyone please imagine why this structure has been built and why each of the compartments of the structure looks like a shipping Container?
Could the structure be a temporary home where the owner could visit to spend times during holidays or the weekends with the members of his family, friends and relatives to pass time? Could it be used for a permanent home?
It is needless to say that the structure is not a high rise building. It could not be more than three storied tall. However, the structure has enough space inside and around the house.
The three storied structure is located in a residential housing society in the city of Dhaka- still a hidden secret from the prying eyes of Dhakaites!
Here below is an extract from the article written by Supriti Sarker, and published in a local English News paper, that tells us in detail about a house which stands majestically in a city that has now transformed into a concrete Jungle:
Quote... One step onto the plot, and a sense of calm and stillness sets upon you just as the architects intended. Past the entrance, the first sight to befall your eyes is the harmony between the greenery and large open spaces within the structure. As I breathe in the serenity, and walk towards the front of the house, a juvenile almond tree at the atrium welcomes me, adorned with floating Mason jar candles. A wire mesh screen with aluminum pergolas covers the top of the tree. Hints of green vines were steadily growing to cover the mesh and protect the sapling for many summers to come; this young tree resides in the central triple height of the house, beckoning in fresh air for ventilation.
The front lawn made me nostalgic. All you see is green, the perfect place for to run around, riding their bicycles, while the elders sit in the gazebo, sipping tea, sharing a laugh while watching over the little ones.
The staircase that sweeps upwards surrounds the tree, never barring its presence as one walks to and fro between the floors, from one container room to the other, that are secured on steel column-beam structures.
Every room on every floor stays true to the theme of relaxation and tranquility with large windows, beckoning in natural light and the neutral colours of the furniture and interior to complement one another. Materials for the walls, floors and stairs comes from abandoned wooden decks used in ships, and interestingly enough, the architects chose to preserve that ‘rustic’ feel rather than mask it…Unquote
Supriti Sarkar has concluded his article as follows:
Quote….Although at a glance this is a container house, it does create a space around itself; one of a kind home, that exudes rural vibes onto a modern structure.” Escape Den” is the weekend getaway within Dhaka, without the inconvenience of traveling miles away from urban life…Unquote
Yes, ‘Escape Den’ is the name of the container House.
Source: Supriti Sarkar,The Daily Star.
Photo Credit: Hasan Saifuddin Chandan
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