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Janmashthomi was the day Sri Krishna came to the earth. Hindus celebrate this day with worship and prayer. They read and sing in the temples. After prayers thousands of devotees wait in a procession in the late afternoon. A child is dressed up as Krishna, and sometimes another child is dressed up as Radha, his consort.

I was initially attracted by the sight of the child and his dress. As I was about to focus, it was the look in his eyes that struck me. I wondered about the innocent curiosity of that gaze and how long it would take before reality set in.

One day, when I was a student in high school, my elder brother came with a camera and asked me to take his photograph. The camera was probably a very old Yashica. I waited eagerly to see the image. Unfortunately, I’d cut my brother’s leg off. He scolded me for this, but I was so happy I had taken a photograph. A couple of years later I completed a basic course in photography and got actively involved in the photographic movement in Bangladesh. I am now a diploma student working on anthropological issues.

Monirul Alam
Bangladesh
By arrangement with Drik Picture Library Ltd
www.drik.net