Pandemic in panorama

Bashir Ahmed Sujan

16 October, 2020, 12:35 pm

Last modified: 16 October, 2020, 02:33 pm

For the first time in my life I faced such horrific times.

I felt helpless as I had to lock myself and my family in my flat in Dhaka for a long time. My parents live outside of Dhaka.

The city suddenly went into idle mode. Uttara, Dhaka. Photo: Bashir Ahmed Sujan/Map

News of death came from everywhere. Some abandoned their parents in the woods or roadside, hundreds of families starved for days while the rich celebrated their birthdays and marriage anniversaries and put up pictures on social media. My conscience was shaken. I felt guilty.

Lockdown. Photo: Bashir Ahmed Sujan/Map

I was also concerned about the low wage earners around me, besides my own peers. To see how these daily wage earners end up, I took my camera and went out walking.

Having no passenger and unable to pay the rent for his rickshaw or buy food for the family, rickshaw-puller Kamal Mia lost interest in being photographed. Photo: Bashir Ahmed Sujan/Map

At first, it was scary. There were almost no one in the streets. When someone stared at me, I had a feeling something was going to happen to me.

The pandemic took lives, their belongings remained. Photo: Bashir Ahmed Sujan/Map

After hours of walking, I took out my camera. Then I started to capture the things happening before my eyes.

Garment workers washing their hands before entering a factory. Photo: Bashir Ahmed Sujan/Map

One day at a time, I walked on the streets of Uttara, Banasree, Badda, Gulshan, Hatirjheel, New Market and Dhanmondi.

With no customers in sight, a vegetable vendor is playing games on his cell phone. Photo: Bashir Ahmed Sujan/Map

I always love taking pictures with film cameras because behind every shot, a train of thought runs in your head.

Vans lay idle tied to tree. Photo: Bashir Ahmed Sujan/Map

I have worked for 12 years to photograph rivers with a black and white panorama camera. After 2005, the digital media has removed many things from our lives.

With no people around, there were no way for the beggars to earn a day’s living. Photo: Bashir Ahmed Sujan/Map

Since 2016, I have started collecting black and white films and developing agents again. Some friends sent it from abroad. I bought some too. Whenever I get time, I go out with my panorama camera and develop black and white films at home.

Text and photos: Bashir Ahmed Sujan

Bashir Ahmed Sujan is a visual storyteller. He is one of the member photographers of Map Photo Agency, a leading photography agency in Bangladesh. His website: www.sujanmap.com