Check out the work of renowned photojournalist Shahidul Alam at this exhibition

How does one know history Is it through the texts we were told to learn wordtoword top to bottom Is it the stories our grandparents tell us Is it the silence that would follow at the dinner table when yoursquod ask about your familyrsquos past Or is it the pages that are torn away from history books when those in power choose to retell itIn 1980 Shahidul Alam a 25yearold Bangladesh native bought a Nikon FM camera while travelling North America It was meant for a friend but when the friend couldnrsquot reimburse Alam the latter kept it for himself Then a chemistry student in London the accidental photographer is now one of the most renowned photojournalists and activists in the worldAlamrsquos picture of Begum Khaleda Zia when she was contesting the prime ministerial elections against Sheikh Hasinaled Awami LeagueNamed TIME Person of the Year in 2018 Alam is also an educator and institution builder He went on to establish Pathshala South Asian Media Institute and Drik Picture Library and start Chobi Mela Asiarsquos longestrunning photo festival Now a retrospective exhibition of his works curated by writer biographer art curator and collector Ina Puri is set to open at Sakshi Gallery in collaboration with Emami Art Titled Singed but Not Burnt the curated collection highlights his ethos as a documentarianPuri admits that putting together a retrospective for an artist like Alam whose career spans up to four decades was no easy feat They met at the first KochiMuziris Biennale in 2012 Soon enough shersquod be in Dhaka flipping through his vast archives to put this exhibit togetherDue to spatial constraints the photo series ldquoKalpana Warriorsrdquo will not be part of the exhibit at Sakshi Gallery The project was initiated in remembrance of Kalpana Chakma an indigenous rights activist and leader from CHT Bangladesh Chakma was abducted at gunpoint by military officers and village men never to be heard from again Kalpanarsquos Warriors gallery installation at Autograph London PicZoe MaxwellldquoYou know you just donrsquot get into activismrdquo Ina remarks ldquoBefore he became known as a journalist and as an activist he was just a studentrdquo The exhibition features not only his own photos but also visuals that allow visitors to glimpse into moments of his life that are seldom heard about These visuals include models by his niece Sofia Karim that create a layout of the Keraniganj Jail where Alam was incarcerated for 107 days in 2018 for openly criticising Bangladeshrsquos tenth Prime Minister Sheikh HasinaAn ode to resistance the exhibition first came to India in 2022 at Emami Art Kolkata It was then that Geetha Mehra director of Sakshi Gallery discovered the curation In no time she reached out to the organisers to bring it to Colaba What Mehra as a longtime admirer of Alamrsquos work is particularly fond of is his use of photography as a medium ldquoHe uses the medium to push his activism without ever compromising the quality of his photographs The images stand as artworks in themselvesrdquo The exhibition is an edited version of the one displayed in Kolkata revised by Alam himselfRight to left Shahidul Alam his partner Rahnuma Ahmed and Ina Puri who has curated the retrospective exhibitionThe meticulously selected photographs include Alamrsquos famous image of a woman cooking on a rooftop in cyclonehit Jinjira Dhaka in 1988 from his series Truth to Power His photographs of twotime Bangladesh PM Khaleda Ziarsquos hopeful election campaign in the background of dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershadrsquos military regime and the yearslong documentation of the extrajudicial killings of the indigenous population in Chittagong Hills weave the story of a young country grappling with autocratic structuresThe exhibition demands contemplation about the sociopolitical zeitgeist of the subcontinent As he told midday ldquoThe exhibition I hope not only alerts us to the dangers of tyrannical regimes but also provides hope that they can be overcome If this exhibition by demonstrating the commonalities of our India and Bangladesh circumstances and possibilities shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel it will have served a purposerdquo Through his work Alam comes across as a journalist and social activist dedicated to questioning authority getting singed in the process but not burntWHAT Singed but Not BurntWHEN April 25 onwardsWHERE Sakshi Gallery Colaba