River life along the banks of the Buriganga by Elena Molina

No doubt that it was there, at Dhaka, when the spell began. My fascination kept growing and growing when roaming around the network of narrow winding streets in downtown.

Magazine

Our printed editions, circulating throughout various galleries, festivals and agencies are dipped in creativity.

The spirit of DODHO’s printed edition is first and foremost an opportunity to connect with a photographic audience that values the beauty of print and those photographers exhibited within the pages of this magazine.

We invite professional and amateur photographers from all around the world to share their work in our printed edition.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ban25e32.jpg

No doubt that it was there, at Dhaka, when the spell began. My fascination kept growing and growing when roaming around the network of narrow winding streets in downtown.

Over there, I met that old woman who, sitting on the outskirts of the railway station, she seemed to be waiting without waiting; also the girl absorbed in her studies, sitting in the gloom of a tiny den, or those two women who, without having anything, owned the whole world… Yes, immersed in the daily life of extraordinarily friendly and smiling people, at thousands of miles away from where I live, I felt myself at home.

One day, early in the morning, I jumped aboard a rickshaw and among the lively fruit and fish markets I reached the Buriganga, the river that winds and gives life to the city. I took a boat and crossed it to go to the other side, it was like going through an invisible wall and suddenly see myself surrounded by the horrific hulls of cargo ships, stranded on dry land, in the middle of a labyrinth-like city plenty of giant skeletons of old ships. I went for a tea and talking with the local people there, I was told I was at Char Kaliganj, a shipyard that really looks like a swarm where everything has its specific place in the most absolute chaos. Something oppressed me, I could hardly breathe when watching the people and, above all, the barefoot children working there, breathing toxic fumes, permanent exposed to asbestos, to the most abrasive heat… All of a sudden, songs, more powerful than the sound of horns or the sirens of some ships, took me out of my daze. They were men who, through guttural sounds, made the earth vibrate with exorbitant force. Through these songs, those armies of indefatigable titans join forces, supporting each other, renewing the energy that will keep them united, preventing any of them from fainting and abandoning.

When the end of my trip was approaching, I decided to go back to Buriganga river, but this time I went to the north of the city where barges and also large ships arrived every dawn with their cargo: bricks, sand and coal, to be transported by the people who they’re, almost bathed by the waters of the river, had established their home. In that place I saw how the strength of men and women was reborn at every moment of pure alchemy, that it is possible to stop and smile even when we carry a huge load. With their backs and waist hunched from desperate exertion, they look into your eyes and smile with their mouths reddened by betel juice, that stimulating Areca nut that they chew to forget hunger. Like tireless ants, they went from one place to another without a pause, without a breath. On the way out, their huge empty baskets, on the way back, the heavy loads.

When walking with bare feet, allowing the sap of the earth to pass through the nakedness of the body and, in its ascent, reach the soul.
When laughter and tears merge into a tender embrace and, shortly, that same tenderness becomes convulsed, oppresses and tears knowing that this encounter is eternal. When the load becomes too heavy, the path slippery, the earth is soaked with your sweat, with your tears and you see yourself reflected in other pupils, allowing it flashes to blind you, it is then, and only then, when it arises from the deepest, that indestructible union and burns, with a ravishing force, the flame of hope.

Other Stories

stay in touch
Join our mailing list and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest stories, opportunities, calls and more.
We use Sendinblue as our marketing platform. By Clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provided will be transferred to Sendinblue for processing in accordance with their terms of use
We’d love to
Thank you for subscribing!
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted.
- Between 10/30 images of your best images, in case your project contains a greater number of images which are part of the same indivisible body of work will also be accepted. You must send the images in jpg format to 1200px and 72dpi and quality 9. (No borders or watermarks)
- A short biography along with your photograph. (It must be written in the third person)
- Title and full text of the project with a minimum length of 300 words. (Texts with lesser number of words will not be accepted)
This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Contact
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted. This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation.
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Get in Touch
How can we help? Do you have an idea or something you'd like to share? Please use the form provided, or contact us at contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.