Historical events through the lens

A photograph taken at Auschwitz

Dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Victory Day, the Embassy of the Russian Federation and the Russian Centre of Science and Culture, arranged a photography and wartime poster exhibition recently. The event was inaugurated by M Morshed Khan, the minister of foreign affairs at the Exhibition Hall of National Museum. The exhibition was later held at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture.

World War II broke out in Europe when German soldiers invaded Poland on Sepember 1, 1939. The war subsequently broke out involving states and people from all continents. By the end of the war, in 1945, millions of soldiers and civilians had died and the war fundamentally changed the international political situation of the world.

Many historical documents of the war have been exhibited in black and white photographs. At the entrance, there were a few photographs, which portray the triumph of enthusiastic Russians who had gathered in Moscow on May 9, 2005, to celebrate the victory.

Another photograph shows the return of the Russian troupes to the homeland after defeating the Nazi Army. The victory parade by the Russian Army at Red Square with the symbol of fallen "Swastika" portraying the defeat of Nazism, was also on display.

A photograph of the signing ceremony of unconditional surrender by the Nazi troupe on May 8, 1945, known as "Victory in Europe" Day, portrays many generals of World War II.

On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union without a declaration of war. One picture shows the moment when the German Nazi Army advanced towards Russia. Besides this photograph, a poster depicts the painting by I Toidze appealing to the Russians to participate in the war. The caption of the painting is "Motherland Appeals to You". Toidze had painted the figure of a mother in an appealing gesture and depicted weapons at the background. This was a popular poster in 1941 Russia.

There are many photographs which portray the war scenes-- some show the battle fields, some communicating through the wireless, march of infantry, and some advancing towards the tanks.

Many photographs at the exhibition create pathos. The brutality on the war victims in the Nazi concentration camps are captured on photographs of starving skeletons coming out of Auschwitz, the largest concentration camp of all. On January 27, 1945, The Red Army liberated Auschwitz, with 7,000 inmates remaining inside.

One photograph shows a grandfather and his grandson with rifles, who had lost rest of the family members in the war.

A photograph depicting the raising of the hammer and sickle over the Reichstag in Berlin, in the exhibition, shows the invasion of Germany by the Russian army after the fall of Berlin in May 1945.

The exhibition was worth a visit both for the older and younger generations. For the young ones, whose knowledge of this period is confined to history books, it is a stark reminder of the horrors of this era. Hopefully, the dictum "History repeats itself" will be disproved by future global citizens.