Narrating Stories Through the Lens

Photographer Darshan Chakma
Talks to
Rakibul Hasan

Courtesy: Darshan Chakma

From an early age I discovered that there are so many things in the world to see that one can never stop wondering about visiting new places. I moved a lot with my parents when I was young and I ended up going to eleven different schools! As a result I had friends from almost every other districts of Bangladesh. School days were very much carefree and full of fun. Academically I was not a very attentive student but I was very active when it came to extracurricular activities. I grew a passion for music since my days in school and I participated in several cultural competitions organised in school as well as in inter-district level. I passed my SSC examinations from Brahmondi Government High School, Narsinghdi.

After graduating from school I moved to Dhaka and got myself admitted in Bangladesh Rifles College. College days were not much of a difference from school except I was having problems with outrageous traffic jams and the pollution of Dhaka city. However I grew accustomed to the hustle and bustle of city life in due course. I did not take my HSC exams for some personal reasons and did a diploma on computer science instead. Currently I am pursuing my Bachelors in Engineering from United International University.

It is in university where I grew a sense of responsibility and got involved with travelling once again, only this time it was my friends with whom I take the tours instead of my parents. Before travelling to new places I searched for information about the travel destinations on the internet. I found out some blog sites where Bangladeshi travellers share their travel stories and photos. This gave me the idea of starting my own blog where I could share my stories. From then on, I always kept a camera and took photos whenever I travelled somewhere. I got obsessed with photography and I am still following my passion as a freelance photographer.

Most of my achievements in photography came during the year 2011 as I won the title of 'Commended Photographer' in Sony World Photography Organisation Photographic Competition. I also won the first prize in the 'Life' category in 'Airtel Break the Circle' competition and achieved the third position in the 'Photo Story' category in International Inter University Photography Exhibition, Bangladesh. I have participated in six national and international exhibitions. I have been working as a moderator of BP- Bangladeshi Photographers since 2010. My dream regarding photography is to establish myself as a successful photojournalist to show the colourful and positive life style, culture, tradition and prosperous stories of my country.

It is very encouraging that more and more people are taking interest in photography nowadays. To all the budding photographers, my message would be that there is no alternative to hard work. One should be open to criticism but at the same time should not give up experimenting. Just stay curious and give your best and you can take stunning photographs.