Feature

Through the Lens
Students of AIUB and Shantou University, China take a day out

Niaz Majumdar

Heavenly Garden (SHARAVO) is a nature-lover's dream and the photographer's solace. There are just so many things to capture on film (or to be more accurate, memory card) that time seems to stop at times and one can lose oneself in the beauty around while walking along the fields and the perfectly manicured lawns. Armed with cameras, every budding photographer presents his or her own perspective of the world, which in the end means that every photo taken is unique!

Department of Advertising of AIUB led by Sir Niaz Majumdar, Lecturer of Digital Imaging, in combination with the South Asian Institute of Photography (PATHSHALA) organised a workshop called “ Nature Study” in the Heavenly Garden, on August 28t. Students of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences were joined by Lu Shanshan, Wang Zhongjie, Zeng Shuru, Wen Shipei and Yang Qiongzhen, students of Cheung Kong School Of Journalism and Communication of Shantou University (Guangdong, China). Our Chinese friends traveled from their homeland for a month-long photography tour in Bangladesh and we the AIUBians took the opportunity to get to know them while enlightening them about our country, our culture and people. We got along well from the very first day and everybody made at least five new friends that day!

We set out from AIUB Campus-7 in the morning. The spring flowers were now replaced by different ones amidst more greenery to accommodate the monsoon flora. Clear blue skies provided the perfect backdrop for our landscape photos, while the variety of flowers, garden-bugs, and birds added colour and life. The shifting clouds and bold sunshine provided ample opportunity for the photographers to add drama to their pictures. Walking and clicking away, our conversations never stopped. There were a few awkward moments when we had to tell and retell a joke and then explain through cultural perspectives, but at the end of the day, we were a bunch of very happy photographers!

When the afternoon heat got to us, we temporarily retired to the bungalow where everybody met the owner of Heavenly Garden, Mr.O.K Chowdhury. For those who wanted to take more pictures were given the permission to roam the grounds until sunset. Then, when everybody had filled their memory cards with beautiful snaps and happy memories, we once again set out for Dhaka.

We would also like to thank the Advertising Department of AIUB and PATHSHALA for arranging the workshop for us. We had a great time, made new friends, and of course, took a lot of pictures, which will be making their way to the upcoming Photography Exhibition in AIUB!