Author
Shahidul Alam
Alam is the founder of Drik Picture Library (www.drik.net), the Bangladesh Photo Institute, Pathshala (the South Asian Institute of Photography) as well as the biennial Chobi Mela Festival of Photography in Asia. He lives in Dhaka.
Articles by this author
Forest of Tides: The Sundarbans
Arts & Culture
Nourished from the north by three rivers from two nations and from the south by the Bay of Bengal, the world’s largest mangrove forest brings together not only rivers and sea, but also hundreds of plant and animal species as well as some 4 million people who live and work in and around the Sundarbans. Protected by both India and Bangladesh, the Sundarbans is listed as a UN World Heritage Site, its name meaning “beautiful forest” in Bengali. As populations and sea levels continue to rise, so too do the challenges.
Humanitarian to a Nation: Abdul Sattar Edhi
Science & Nature
He was arguably the most widely admired man in Pakistan, yet throughout his 88-year life, which ended on July 8 and was followed by a state funeral, Abdul Sattar Edhi remained little known abroad. Starting in 1951 with a free pharmacy in a poor neighborhood of Karachi, by deeds more than words he inspired the growth of a nationwide charitable organization of ambulances, clinics, orphanages, asylums, shelters, mortuaries, hospitals, schools and kitchens. In recognition of his legacy, we are reprinting our story "Humanitarian to a Nation," which appeared on our November/December 2004 cover.