In the middle of nowhere, I found everything...

During my journey in this world, I came across a beautiful day that will be part of my experience as long as I live. In February 2012, I visited Dhaka, Bangladesh. I tried to capture every moment the way I was seeing things around me to keep them alive during my whole lifetime. I heard about a saying once, 'I am what we are!' I couldn't understand the proper meaning until I reach that country and the kids on the streets explained it to me. Then, I realized how beautiful Life can be, in the middle of nowhere we can find everything.

My journey started on the famous tricycle (Riksha), they drive in every corner of the city like the colorful ants and often stop to say 'Hi' to their friends or for a nice tea. These people are not so muscular, if only you could see how fast these legs were going up and down, sometimes carrying more than 3 people.

(Photography by Muzammil)

"On your Tricycle,

Everyday, it's the same Cycle,

It's the way to make your Live

Because you want to Survive..."

(Photography by Muzammil)

I didn't have much time to explore other places, but the few hours I got to walk around this area was enough to write a nice book. Few people understand the feeling of others, but these people they don't have comfort but still they accept the way it is, they are making a happy life out of nothing.

(Photography by Muzammil)

Everybody was so friendly and welcoming. I reached the market, a nice place to pop in for some fresh fruits, vegetables, ready made rice, hot colorful curries and fresh fried baked breads from the hot pan half filled with oil. When I went out through the side door, I was surprised to see the textile area where people were working in the open air area on their sewing machines. It reminded me of the people who are always complaining of lack of comfort in their office. Over there, everybody was happy joking around and that's how they are getting their bread everyday - with whom can they complain anyway!

(Photography By Muzammil)

"Every Man is born with a skill, 

Most of them get so busy admiring others,

They forget about their own talents, 

While others don't have the opportunity to prove it to the world,

But only a few make it to their goals, 

Whether it was  a big dream or a small one,

With our head high in the sky,

We will walk proudly, 

As long as we are not stealing anyone..."

(Photography by Muzammil)

I stopped at in a corner of the street, enjoyed a nice cup of tea with the locals. I saw a very old man sitting by himself, enjoying a deep fried bread cake. With every bite, he was smiling. Unfortunately, I couldn't communicate with, he couldn't understand English Language. But one of the guy asked him for me, why was he smiling with the food?

'I have been working so hard all my life so that someday when I sit down I can enjoy nice foods and today I'm happy, whether it's a small piece of bread or a big plate of rice, I have something to fill my stomach...When we are the owner nobody can snatch it from us!'

(Photography by Muzammil)

I was surprised when I got to know that some of these people never got an opportunity to have their picture shot. When i took their pictures, they were so happy to look at themselves they called their friends and showed them the camera. Sometimes, we don't take time to understand people, we simply judge them badly. These non-educated people never mean that they cannot be part of this world. If only we could learn from them, they are experienced more than we are. I felt lucky to get the opportunity to walk among them for a day in my life.

(Photography by Muzammil)

I crossed the river with a water taxi with the ladies to go on the other side of the city. It was even worst, the little metal and wooden houses were so closed to each other. As I walked among the hot metal sheets, I had to move the hanging dry clothes to find my way where the hen, cats and dogs were living in harmony. I could hear the sound of the grinding stones, from the houses, they were grinding rice. Some places I could smell the nice curries, where the little boy was being fed by his mother's hand.

(Photography by Muzammil)

This place was amazing, the people were welcoming - normally they don't often see foreigners around their house. I could see the pure innocent faces of the lovely little girls, their future was already written, they'll get married at an early age. They were so photogenic, they got nice skin tones, beautiful features, only if somebody would tell them that they are very beautiful, I wonder if they ever got that chance in their life before I told them. 

(Photography by Muzammil)

That was my journey in this beautiful city. I heard there was nothing much to do there, only when I arrived I noticed that it was true, because there is no famous brand shopping mall, it is a poor city. There is air conditioned taxi, only riksha every where and the foods don't look clean. But, if only they would give some attention to the locals, talk to them and walk among them, then they could have felt the string positive energy flowing in these people veins. I walked among them and I felt blessed. 

I can never forget that little boy who followed me all the way, when i bought him some cakes, he shared everything with his little friends, he told me he cannot be happy if his friends are not!

"I am what we are..."

Only then I realized that this place is amazing, I had to walk more, explore more, come back with the experience and share it to the world. I took loads of pictures, I uploaded only a few where I strongly believe you felt the energy that existed in this place. I pray that the blessing of God never leave the heart of these people.

(Photography by Muzammil)

"People complain about their Luxury Life,

You don't have anything, 

But still you are happy with a piece of dry bread,

If the world is rejecting you,

God is in your heart,

Some among us believe in your potentials,

You kept me smiling,

It's not a Bye from me,

I'll surely come back to see you again..."

Muzammil

Oh children of the next generation...

They say emotion and happiness cannot be described, yet they are so strong that sometimes we react in weird way, where we don't care about what people think about us in happy moments.


"Happiness appears in different form, let them fly around us. I welcome sorrow in my life, without sadness, happiness will never arrive...I'm patient, the more I cry, the more ill be happy later! I know I'll be given a chance someday to go to that world where everybody is talking about love." 


Im looking at the sky, reminding me of these kids, every time they see an aircraft over their houses, they wave their hand to say 'bye!'

Surely we all know what I'm talking about. But these kids, they think the passengers can see and waving at them back. Some of them are simply talking to the aircraft itself. While the rest think their family who left the country few days, weeks or years ago are in that aircraft. Life is beautiful, full of happiness when we were a kid - we didn't have any responsibility, no stress, we ruled our thought.

(Photographed by Muzammil in Ghana)

When I'm driving around the old villages, kids run after my car and scream, the rich man is here. It keeps me thinking, what are their expectations from me...yeah, they want some gifts or they want to sit in my lap or they want to sit in the car because they never got an opportunity. The car looks like a toy for them, running after the car will make them happy. They don't care what I'll think about them, running after my car is a game. They were all after my car with different ideas, until they will grow up and realize this man was not rich, I can buy a car as well someday.

And when we grow up, we don't talk to the flying plane anymore, we don't run after that beautiful car anymore, because we gave birth to ego. Then the world looks different...

(Photographed by Muzammil in Bangladesh)

"oh children of the next generation,

Every time you see something that pleases you,

With your little thought you make it work the way you want,

When you talk to the aircraft,

When you dance barefoot on the roads,

When you swim in the dirty river,

When you run after the rich man car,

Sometimes I Think if I should copy you,

But the older you get,

You'll become like me,

Then, will you copy the kids?

The kids of the next generation?"

Muzammil

The Beautiful Butterflies In The Sky...

"Today I'm standing among the crowd like a Caterpillar,
Over my head are flying the butterflies but i cannot see them,
Someday I'll be enclosed in a Cocoon, 
Everybody will think I don't exist anymore, 
But instead, I'll be in a state of metaphor, 
I can't take it anymore,
I will have to leave everything behind, 
With a different personality,
With a different dream,
Ill be come back,
Some among you will try to open the cocoon to look for me, 
They will miss me but I won't be visible anymore in that shell,
While others will be happy that I don't exist anymore,
For them, I was not important, 
They have been using me as long as I could stand on my feet,
Oh my dear people who are close to my heart!
Don't cry over my dead body, 
If somebody is crying, 
Tell him, he will have to join me someday,
And on that day I will be alive again,
Not as a Caterpillar But as a butterfly,
A new butterfly came out from the dead body, 
From the dead body of the Caterpillar,
I'll fly all over the rest, 
No one among them will see me,
While they will be busy taking advantage of each other,
I'll be flying among the beautiful butterflies in the sky..."


Muzammil

The Cave

'I'm a Man born among Man kind,

I make mistake like others,

Give me a chance to prove myself among these cruel people,

For they have eyes to see and Ears to listen,

But neither can they hear anything nor they can see,

I better kill myself and take a different Birth in the same lifetime,

Give birth to a different personality,

Among these cruel people, I cannot take it anymore,

I want a new beginning,

Only then I can realize the beauty of this place, this world,

Innocent beings, Angels,

Where Mankind gave birth to Satan...'

The gentleman made his way to the cave. Its a cave on the mountain, a simple dark cave with an Intention to meet God. He always heard god is an old man with strong voice, an old man who will be accompanied by angels - they will be sparkling like stars, beautiful virgin ladies with wings. Such was his belief that pushed him to the cave. God doesn't appear everywhere, we should be far away from the noise and meditate, then He will come with lots of blessings, so was his thought.

He was enjoying the beautiful landscape, the beautiful view from the valley and saw the beautiful flowers. He sat down for a few seconds and thought,

"Every flowers believe they are beautiful,

they are loved by the bees,

bees that come to visit them so many times everyday,

And bees look at the flowers not by its beauty,

for they need to smell and taste every flowers,

to make the more tasty honey for their Queen,

External beauty is just an illusion, An attraction for some times,

But the day we smell internal beauty,
Our souls shall be united forever..."

When he reached the cave, He sat down for days and nights, meditating. No angels appeared. The space he left in front of him for God, remain an empty space. He could not hear the steps of an old man, the smell of paradise and the sparkling stars. But with patience, he fell in a trance...far away his unconscious explained to him,

"Once a civilization constructed the Greatest Wall in the world,

in order to protect his people from the enemies,

after they completed the Great Wall the only thing they couldn't protect was feelings,

Sometimes it was hot,

and the other day it was rainy,

and the worst, when it started snowing..."

The message was clear for the gentleman, he then realized that God was not an old man to be seen somewhere hidden. He is present in our daily life. He didn't have to cross the valley and climb the wall to see God. He is the energy going through our blood everyday, everytime. No one recognize Him, but He is here among us. He appears from nowhere. That's why the prophets said He is among us, call for Him and He shall appears. But they never said He will appear as an old man. He will appear in different forms. And those who don't believe He is among us, then they shall know where they come from and where they will go someday, but as far as Im concern, I don't know where I come from. And my belief started when I came here, I didn't come alone, I came in a relationship with the global energy, God. Tell them, Believe in Him. If you have a belief He is there for you, nobody will ever end up his life when he is in trouble, but instead the person will kill his idea, Satan, and take a new birth, give birth to a different personality. So, he left the cave, the little dark cave after understanding the message he heard in his trance,

"Even if you build the Greatest Barrier between you and somebody,

If its a relationship written from long time ago,

He doesn't need to climb that wall to reach your heart,

Like the snow appeared from the sky,

crossed the Great Wall and hit the civilization,

so shall he appeared from nowhere and hit your heart..."

Muzammil

 

I Start With A Dot...

"It's so easy to write on a small piece of torn paper but today when I have a large clear white paper, I'm thinking twice before making the first black dot. Every pen have to start with a dot to form an alphabet, and a group of alphabets stand together to form a word. But only a few dots develop into an alphabet that doesn't need to stand among the crowd to create a word, they may look simple, but without this one alphabet the sentence might have a different meaning! We tend to judge people by their physical look, but the real nature of a person is hidden under his skin. Most people gather in a group of the society, with an intention to bring a change, but they finally end up creating the same word that people who joined the society before them, had created. But far away, deep inside the dark house, lie this man, this single alphabet, who never interested to follow the flow decided to search for the light. People think he's incapable of growing, he is immature. He is not, those who never thought how clever he was, he made the first step before others did, by decided not to follow what they are doing. The first step that will destroy his physical being, but he's intention is strong enough and can never be blamed. He is strong enough like the salmon - hiding his intention by showing a weak personality.

The little salmon fish was born under the soft stone in the sweet river water. She grew up thinking why she was born in this place, there was nothing. Day and night she could only here the silence of this place, only the sound of water. She then decided to explore the other world. She had a strong belief that this magical world, full of love, full of adventure started where the river ended. And she left the little fresh corner under the shadow of the soft stone to explore the new world, all she could bring with her was the smell of that pure stone disturbed by the fresh water day and night. The little salmon reached the ocean and convinced herself that this place is better and she will never return back. Life turned into a mystery, desire broken, big waves, lack of knowledge, enemies everywhere, the river is too far away to go back alone...all she needs now after months of loneliness is to find a partner. This world is better to be dreamed of than to live, from a distance it looks beautiful, the closer we get it tempts us more but when we land in our dream city, we found the real history behind the scene. The salmon will become a mother now, she thought about the best place she can give birth to her babies, a quiet place where her mother chose for her, a place far away from dangers and this arrogant world. Then she realized why she was born under the shadow of that soft stone in the sweet fresh water. She can still feel the smell of the stone and hear the fresh water flowing, it brings an inner peace in her life. She takes a new decision, to go against the flow, the flow that her mother took before, the flow of other fishes, the flow of the strongest current. And today there's no bigger example of going against the flow like the Salmon. She faced the enemies, escape the fishermen, escape the sharks, the bigger fishes. She reaches the beginning of the river, she has to jump against the water, hurt herself face the biggest enemy, the mouth of the bears wide open. But full of emotions and intention to reach that stone, she escaped the hardest moment. She finally arrived at the same place, everything is still the same...smell the same, although the soft stone looks smaller when the little salmon has become an adult. Her lover is lost, somewhere the enemy had caught him. And here she decided to lay her eggs but tried hard enough to convince the precious soft stone under the shadow to explain to her babies later when she won't be here, that the world is a deception. All her dreams was shattered, she was living without inner peace, but here, this place is more than everything. This place is nothing compare to the world outside, but still you can find everything, you can find the one who wrote the first dot, the first precious soft stone of her life. The day she gave birth to her babies, the salmon left this world after a tiring journey bring with her, the experience of a journey in the world. Her body flowing over the surface of the water taking the direction of the ocean again but now she is flowing with the flow and no enemies are attracted to her - the fisherman is watching her body floating away, the bear cannot smell her anymore, the big fishes are deep under the water. Unfortunately, the precious soft stone under the shadow cannot speak, he never heard anybody, under it are born the new little salmon with big dreams - to explore the world. 

Here, with his hidden dream, this gentleman will make his way against the flow of the society, it won't be easy, but as long as he keep his intention alive and dream about his goal, he will certainly develop into an alphabet that can stand alone in a sentence and give it a proper meaning!"

Muzammil