Coping with pain

Pathshala student Naymuzzaman Prince has been documenting the lives of children with terminal cancer for many years. The intimacy with which he photographs a mother and her dying child is a trademark of the school’s approach to photography. Photo: Naymuzzaman Prince

Pulikali – play of the big cats– is a 200-year-old folk art tradition, practised in the Thrissur district of Kerala. The painting lasts almost an entire night. Many paints contain toxic chemicals and create a burning sensation when applied on the newly shaved bodies. Country liquor helps minimize the pain. Photo: Saibal Das

With just 400 beds, Hemayetpur is the only mental hospital in Bangladesh, a country of over 150 million people. Mental patients are therefore often treated by local doctors, many of whom practise methods they themselves have developed. While recognizing the harshness of chaining a child with illness, photographer Shoeb Faruquee saw that these healers often provide the only medical services that a family might get. Photo: Shoeb Faruquee

The sheer abandon of the flautist takes on a different meaning when one realizes he is standing on the edge of a raging river. With global warming becoming a major threat to Bangladesh, erosion by the river and rising sea levels will make millions homeless. Photo: Mohammad Amin