While visiting the Chobi Mela Photo Festival in Dhaka, Bangladesh in January 2013, I stumbled across Robindra Shorbod, a tiny park in the city’s south west that is home to roughly ten street children. Street kids beg for money, gather plastic containers to sell for recycling, and share every ounce of food they earn with their ten dogs.
I spent a week with the lads and dogs during the festival, learning about their daily routines and survival techniques. I finished the week with a series of portraits. The Robindra lads are distinct persons in each of these photographs. They do.
However, become family members when they are together , A family of two species, with members of each species carried away in one of the world’s most populous cities. These photographs depict the orphaned children’s courage, fortitude, and, most importantly, their bond with the dogs they have adopted.
The lads were not instructed to pose; instead, they walked into the picture with their favorite buddy and the shutter was opened. The capacity of these youngsters – who are so socioeconomically disadvantaged – to shine as exemplars of fellowship between these two species is the subject of these photos. Print sales from this series support a follow-up project on the Robindra Boys as well as Obhoyaronno in 2016.
You’ve probably seen some of these heartfelt images.
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