Emergent Voices: Photo Stories

Photo Essay by Debabrata Mukherjee

The frame was taken on a summer day at sunset. The frame shows three stories:
Firstly, on the upper branch, a bird is preparing for its flight.
Secondly, on the middle branch, two birds sit on opposite sides, representing Abhiman.
And on the last branch, the single bird represents loneliness.

The frame shows a winter evening, where some boys feel the heat of the fire to reduce the effect of the extreme cold.

This frame is a portrait of waiting. It was taken in Burdwan on a summer morning. Two men are waiting for their bus, and the frame reminds me of the quote: “Waiting is the tonic of human survival.

It was taken on a late-autumn night, during the time of Maa Annapurna immersion. Maa Annapurna is believed to be another form of Maa Durga. During the Bengali festival Nabanna, we worship Maa Annapurna.

This frame was taken during a mask-dance program in my village. It is a unique and famous traditional dance that portrays mythological stories and characters.

Debabrata Mukherjee is from the small village of Shrinidhipur in West Bengal. He completed his Graduation from Bolpur College . At present , he is a student of B.Ed teachers training at Tarashankar B.ed Institution . He is a poet and writes short stories and loves to click pictures on his cell phone.

Three Photos by Ayantika Ghosh

Rarissime

The night whispers to the chandelier “Let there be drama“.

Festival nights are either black or white, or sometimes both, something
in between, something grey.

Ayantika Ghosh is a student of Loreto College, Kolkata. She is majoring in English
and currently in her third year of college life.

Reflections by Archita Mahanty

Once again…
The lingering sense of fear still hovers upon me
But I let my courage sprout once again…

I was sleeping in a dark room
Only darkness produces such a good sleep,
I was stuck in that room all day
Only then I craved a ray
And I saw a stripe of hope still left.

It’s hard to be ‘yourself’, when you have pretended for years to be someone else.

A relief, a shade, a sudden rapture – a paintbrush mixed it all.

Archita Mahanty, a third year student of English literature at Durgapur Government College is a curious observer. Driven by a passion for creative expression, she captures photographs and reflects the world through her writings and illustrations.

Photo Essay by Smriti Mondal

Like a well-crafted poem, a chai-dukan is a gateway to concealed secrets and emotions
that stores life’s waxing and wanning memories.

Amidst of the yesterday’s heartbreak, today’s healing and tomorrow’s dream– some
friendships are perpetual whispers in the chaos of “chai dukan” as well as in tranquility.
Life bestows ecstasy and agony in burning fire.
No matter what we’re burnt for, life always gifts us a friend who walks with us until the
situation is in our favour.

In the midst of a withered petal of ruined rose, temper of brewed tea and a few stains of
ink– I hope this chai-dukan would feel that unexpressed love that my heart is unable to
convey.

A lone chai-dukan witnesses the moving of world, presenting opportunity to introspect,
similarly with the help of a cup of tea, a student pauses from monotonous life and
introspects her life, then designs and executes. Student’s life goes on with new
challenges.

A universe of memories is preserved by time-wrought utensils. Under a pale light of chai-
dukan, every nook and corner holds those utensils that linger a longer impression than a
steamed chai-cup. Analogously, under the faded light of life, every fragment of fate
remains with equal warmth, where the old chapters glow like a star than the fresh. These
utensils may be the prey to time, but every corner of a tea-shop carries the story— a
journey of struggle, growing up and glowing up.

Smriti Mondal, an Undergraduate student of
English literature at Durgapur Government
College, West Bengal, pens down her
thoughts on real life, struggle, social issues
and the quiet terrain of human introspection.
She is a district level quiz and recitation
champion. She has already seen three of
her poems find their home in 3 published
books. With phone-camera in hand and
contemplation in heart, she captures
moments and blends her thoughts with
them, creating frames where emotions and
stories breathe together.

Photographs by Sujit Prasad

“Comfort and companionship—tiny hearts finding warmth in each other.”

“A small wild flower standing bright, even in the middle of everyday life.”

“The gentle curiosity of childhood—captured in a pair of bright, searching
eyes.”

“A silent moment of strength and devotion, glowing under the open sky.”

“Threads of faith tied with hope—each knot carrying a silent prayer towards
the divine.”

“Friendship framed against the setting sun, simple yet everlasting.”

“In the fading light of the village sunset, innocence finds its own shape of
love.”

I am a student with a deep interest in photography. I especially enjoy capturing nature, landscapes, and the small moments that often go unnoticed. Photography allows me to connect with the beauty around me and express what I feel through my lens.