The Out of Focus calendar is a project Drik Pictures has been working on for some time. This is one of a series of images taken by children and selected by them for the calendar. The images are accompanied by the children’s observations about life around them.

Responding to this image of Dhaka Zoo taken by Iqbal Hossain in 2000, one of the children, Iqbal, says:

‘Often people cover their faces to protect themselves from the dust. But what mask will protect the sweepers?

‘While I was taking pictures a man remarked: “Look at the airs the shutkiwalla’s [dry-fish seller’s] son puts on.” That’s how my dad earned his living then. “A fish seller’s son, taking pictures, huh?” ’

‘I remember clearly, when I’d be going out to take photographs, Dad would be in the streets, selling fish.’

Faysal Ahmed Dadon, Bangladesh

This article is from the May 2004 issue of New Internationalist.

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