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World Press Photo Enter Magazine

The photographs here were chosen by Amirul Rajiv, who has been the photo editor of the Editorial & Forum Magazine of The Daily Star ? Bangladesh?s largest English-language daily newspaper – for the past three years.
Amirul Rajiv

The first image shows fresh water coming in from the Bangshi River, to the left, and shows clearly how murky the water of the Turag River has become. The photo was taken from the Amin Bazar Bridge near Gabtali, in the capital of Bangladesh.
Says Rajivl: ?This picture, taken by Anisur Rahman of The Daily Star on June 4, 2010, was published on the front page of the paper . Bangladesh is land of rivers, an agriculture-based country. The rivers have become seriously polluted due to mismanagement by authorities amid the threat of global warming. We published this standalone picture over five columns. Next day, there was huge debate all over the country and a few weeks later the court gave a special ruling to protect Dhaka?s water line and clean the rivers. I choose the picture because it is bold and gives a complete impression of the river?s current state.?
The second image was taken at Kamrangirchar in Dhaka, Bangladesh, by Anisur Rahman and was published on April 7, 2011 on the front page alongside an article headlined ?None Jailed in 10 Years?. It was about the practice of grabbing land from the river for development.
Says Rajiv ?Everyday, aggressive urbanization brings the people from all over the country to the city areas. The city is grabbing the nature and land outside of the city. The city is growing with an extreme need of food and shelter for its people. By destroying the nature, man is creating a natural disaster. Laws are weak. After the picture was published huge pressure grew on the government to save the rivers and protect them from grabbers’ actions. I like the composition and the environmental view it?s taken from.?
Rajiv is an alumni of Pathshala South Asian Media Academy. World Press Photo Foundation is a partner of Pathshala

Author: Shahidul Alam

Time Magazine Person of the Year 2018. A photographer, writer, curator and activist, Shahidul Alam obtained a PhD in chemistry before switching to photography. His seminal work “The Struggle for Democracy” contributed to the removal of General Ershad. Former president of the Bangladesh Photographic Society, Alam set up the Drik agency, Chobi Mela festival and Pathshala, South Asian Media Institute, considered one of the finest schools of photography in the world. Shown in MOMA New York, Centre Georges Pompidou, Royal Albert Hall and Tate Modern, Alam has been guest curator of Whitechapel Gallery, Winterthur Gallery and Musee de Quai Branly. His awards include Mother Jones, Shilpakala Award and Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dali International Festival of Photography. Speaker at Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Oxford and Cambridge universities, TEDx, POPTech and National Geographic, Alam chaired the international jury of the prestigious World Press Photo contest. Honorary Fellow of Royal Photographic Society, Alam is visiting professor of Sunderland University in UK and advisory board member of National Geographic Society. John Morris, the former picture editor of Life Magazine describes his book “My journey as a witness”, (listed in “Best Photo Books of 2011” by American Photo), as “The most important book ever written by a photographer.”

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