Sneak Preview of National Geographic All Roads Photography Exhibition

Student protest Bangaldesh. Photograph Rashid Talukder (Bangladesh)

In 2010, three photographers— Rashid Talukder (Bangladesh), Tomás Munita (Chile), and Sumit Dayal (Kashmir)—were honored by the National Geographic All Roads Photography Awards. The Photography Program is part of the All Roads Film Project, a National Geographic program dedicated to providing a platform for indigenous and underrepresented minority-culture storytellers from around the world to showcase their works to promote knowledge, dialogue, and understanding with a broader, global audience.

Rashid Talukder (Bangladesh), Pioneer Photography Award

Photo-essay “The 1971 Liberation War”

 “As a Bangladeshi, I consider myself lucky to have witnessed the most crucial period of our country’s history: the 1971 Liberation War. I never hesitated to put myself at risk in order to capture the moments of our country’s journey towards independence.”

Tomás Munita (Chile), Mid-career Photography Award

Photo-essay “Lost Harvest-The Death of Loa River”

 “The Loa River goes through the core of the driest desert on Earth, Chile’s Atacama. With the start of mining operations in the Atacama Desert, the struggle for water began. …Today’s rush is for copper, Chile’s chief export. …Since the creation of a new water code, many farmers have been lured to sell their water to mining industries, resulting in the end of local agriculture.  In the past 15 years, two episodes of tail-pool flooding delivered deadly pollution to the Loa River and thus the town most affected: the driest town on Earth, the oasis of Quillagua.”

Garlic Harvesting Chile. Photograph Tomás Munita (Chile)

 

Sumit Dayal (Kashmir), Emerging Photographer Award

Photo-essay “On Going Home”

 

“The vale of Kashmir is a low-lying fertile Himalayan valley fed by many rivers.  … The nuclear capabilities of both India and Pakistan have earned this disputed strip of land the tag of one of the world’s most dangerous places. There is a sea of stories of atrocities, disappeared persons, abductions, unidentified graves, killings, and mass migration of minority communities.   I feel the need to unfold my past and be able to associate with the culture and history of my ancestors. I hope that On Going Home will lead me in the direction of finding my true identity.”

 

 

Patrol Boat, Kashmir. Photograph Sumit Dayal

Pictured above: A Central Reserve Police Force soldier patrols Dal Lake at dawn. Half a million Indian troops patrol the Kashmir Valley, one of the world’s most militarized zones. March 2009.

Read more: 

http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/all-roads/all-roads-photography-program/

Preview in gallery:  

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/all-roads/all-roads-2010-photography/

Catch this exhibition at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy 21 January to 3 February, 201i,

and click here for  a full listing of exhibitions at  Chobi Mela VI — International festival of Photography