Stories behind photographs
Entitled Aronner Krondon (Cry of the Forest), the photography exhibition that recently took place at the Drik Gallery was an extensive study of the fate of our forests undertaken by Philip Gain during his association with the Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD). His journey through our natural heritage for more than a decade has covered almost all major forest areas of the country--the Sundarbans, the Madhupur National Park and the forests of the Chittagong Hill Tracts area.
The study shows that the increasing need for lumber has led various sectors in backing plantation of invasive species like teak, eucalyptus, acacia, pine, rubber etc. This has caused clear felling of our native trees especially sal and garjan. Backed and often funded by the government agencies, government research institutes and international interest groups like the ADB and the World Bank, these projects are protected and favoured by widely circulated argument that the invasive species like conifers and eucalyptus are much more productive than the native ones and harmless to the local environment. They have also put a legal framework in place, which protect them from any legal action taken against them in case any particular species turns out to be mistaken in the long run.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Not just the native trees, the inhabitants of these forest areas, usually indigenous communities who consider themselves to be the children of the forests and have traditionally sourced the forests for their livelihood, have also fallen victim to these plantation projects. Often plantation and legal reforms have rendered these children of the forest illegal residents on their traditional homeland. Philip Gain's camera has also focused on these ill-fated people.
Although trained as a journalist and writer in the first place, Philip Gain's interest and accomplishment in photography is clearly noticeable in the pictures placed on the exhibition. The images also project his close proximity with the complexities of the forests.