Dhaka, Bangladesh
28 February 2009
The last time I went to Kamalapur Railway Station, it was right before the Eid-ul Fitr holidays, in October 2008. That time, it was a photowalk organised by members of "Through the Lens: Bangladesh" group of Flickr. This time again, it was no exception. Credit should go to Shudipto, Kamrul, Kamal, Arif and Tahmid for making this happen. The idea was to spend enough time there so that a kind of a photostory can be developed. But I went there a bit too late actually, which reduced my efforts to a short glimpse of life at Kamalapur. I spend only a couple of hours there. But I was able to get a glimpse of that short time.
Here are some of my captures from there:
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
In the name of religion.........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
When the head has little else to do........
Children of Kamalapur may not have everything, but they certainly know how to get the best out of what they have..........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
Leisure time........
The porters at Kamalapur do get their leisure time in between train arrivals...... They have their own ways of finding entertainment........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
Rock soldiers!!!
Railway workers continue maintenance of railway lines...... They arrange rocks using the simplest of tools...... But their work is very important to say the least....
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
In this playground..........
Some children spend their time around the parked locomotives, while others utilise their time getting some nap.....
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
No arrivals, no crowd.........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
They keep it clean...........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
Waiting for the arrivals.........
This little boy work as a porter and he spends his time like anyone else, waiting for the trains........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
Salesman........
This young chap sells little home-made cookies all day....... He starts his day at 6:00AM and goes on until he can empty his pack...... Most of the times, he can go home in the afternoon; sometimes, he gets lucky and his goods are sold off by noon....
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
Some of the porters have enough time for a game, others consider resting as more important......... Busy hours are ahead.........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
The arrival.........
The moment a train arrives at the platform, the whole place transforms into a hustling bustling place........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
First win........
Porters are in a bit of a competition getting access to the arriving trains....... Some go forward and try to board the train before it even reaches the platform...... This is a dangerous game, but to them its worth the risk.......
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
To catch a train...........01
Young porters run to occupy a door of an arriving train before it even stops.......
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
To catch a train...........02
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
To catch a train...........03
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
To catch a train...........04
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
Expectation..........
A young boy waits in front of a window in expectation of some work..........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
Young shoulders...........
These children have no other choice but to take up work at this tender age....... Their families depend of their income to a varying degree...... Life is not so forgiving for them..........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
Age is no issue when it comes to need..........
Elderly people are also part of the porter crowd at work at Kamalapur........ Life is not that forgiving for the people of Kamalapur........
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| From Kamalapur Railway Station, 28 February 2009 |
The rail king!!
Drivers of railway engines do play an important role behind keeping the lines of communication open........ Their machines are big, heavy, noisy and powerful...... Their characters don't always match that of the machines they control......
