Stranger 1/100 - The Boatman

nobody@flickr.com (ταηjεεr) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:55:49 -0800

As I was looking for my first subject for the 100 Strangers project, I met Mohammad Kashem right under the Dhaleshwari Bridge #2, near Bikrampur, Dhaka. On that mild winter morning, he was rowing his dinghy gently towards us in the shore. He gladly agreed to pose for me when I asked for his permission.

He is 45, although he looks a lot older than his age. He lives in Chor Kundolia, right across the river, with his wife and four kids. With the ever decreasing water flow, the Dhaleshwari has shrunk, and so has his income. He earns between BDT 300-400 (less than USD $5) a day while his wife grows vegetables in their backyard and sells those in the local market. Together they are quiet content with their lives, but they are sending all their kids to free government schools so that they don't end up being a boatman like dad.

He was very curious to see how he looked in the photos, and was asking me to show him the shots in the LCD of the camera. When I told him that I would bring a few prints next time I go there, he offered me his cell phone number and said that I should call him before I go.

This picture is #1 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

Thanks to Adnan, the master of people photography, for some very useful tips and a whole bunch of warm encouragements for starting this project. He, like many other great photographers, obviously shoots with a Nikon! :-)

Looks much better in lightbox

Get a different view of the bridge in the background here.

Explored 01/17/2012

nobody@flickr.com (ταηjεεr) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:15:56 -0800

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nobody@flickr.com (ταηjεεr) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 22:51:49 -0800

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Portrait of a Rickshawala

nobody@flickr.com (ταηjεεr) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:27:41 -0700

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Please note: I hate smoking. And, smoking kills. Period. Please do not take this post as an endorsement for smoking, and please do not invite me to join pro-smoking groups or galleries.

Uploads from ταηjεεr, tagged portrait

Stranger 1/100 - The Boatman

Portrait of a Rickshawala