A family, a fire and a photograph: How Pinu Rahman won a Tk 25 million prize

A fire broke out at Korail slum in the capital on 25 November 2025. It was a Tuesday. I work as a banker, and because I had to go to the office that day, I could not visit the scene. This happens quite often. I decided that I would photograph the aftermath of the fire.

In similar incidents in the past, I have mostly taken photographs of the situation after the event. Two of my younger friends, who are also photographers and were outside Dhaka, called and said they also wanted to go there to take photographs.

We planned to go together on Friday, 28 November. The plan was to meet at Karwan Bazar and travel to the site together. But I left home very early, so in the end we could not go together. I reached the scene at around 5:30 or 6:00 am.

I initially took some photographs with my camera. At the same time, I kept looking for my friends, but I could not find them. Meanwhile, I noticed many drones flying in the sky.

It was impossible to cover such a large area on foot. So I went up to the roof of a nearby single-storey building and flew my own drone. For about 30 minutes, I used it to survey the situation across the entire area. None of the houses in the fire-ravaged section had any tin roofing left. The burnt sheets of tin were scattered all around.

People who had lost their homes were sleeping under the open sky, some under mosquito nets and others without them. Some had put up tarpaulins for shelter. Others had woken up. Some were having breakfast, while others were talking on their phones. I captured these scenes with my drone and returned home.

I downloaded the photographs onto my computer and sat down to look through them. As I went through the images, a few frames caught my eye. In one, five members of a family were sleeping side by side. In another, a different family is sitting together having breakfast; some are chatting while another is talking on the phone. Just, moments from everyday life.

But the photo of the five family members sleeping struck me differently. They looked utterly exhausted. Perhaps they would wake up after a little while.

I sent the photographs to an international news organisation. It selected 20 of them. The organisation’s chief executive, on seeing the photograph of the sleeping family, said there were many stories within the image and that I should save the photo carefully.

I, too, had a similar feeling about the photograph. So I kept it aside.

Every year, the Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) sets a specific theme for its competition. Last year’s theme was ‘Power’, while the year before that it was ‘Sustainability’. This year, the theme was ‘Family’.

I read the explanation of the theme on HIPA’s website. Family was not limited to relationships between people. There was also scope to explore the idea of family in nature. The main aim of this year’s theme was to highlight connections, a sense of togetherness and bonds.

I began thinking about various photographs, trying to work out which one best matched the theme. From my years of experience in photography, I know that understanding the theme is essential when submitting photographs to international competitions. It is not enough for a photograph to be beautiful, it must also fit the spirit of the competition.

At one point, I remembered the photograph from Korail slum. Even after their homes had been gutted by fire, five members of a family were sleeping together. They had been left without shelter, a home or possessions, yet they were still together. The family bond, even in the face of disaster, was the photograph’s greatest strength.

Fires in slums are nothing new. Though regrettable, the reality is that such incidents occur somewhere or other every year. Yet people pick themselves up and try to rebuild their lives. I also saw in the photograph the struggle of people rising from the ruins, like the mythical phoenix.

After considering everything, I decided to submit the photograph. I titled it ‘Under the Same Sky’. I also wrote down my thoughts in the description.

I had received some indication from HIPA that I would be getting an award, but they had not told me which one. At their invitation, I set off on 9 November with my wife and Prothom Alo’s chief photographer, Zahidul Islam, to attend the awards ceremony.

On the morning of 10 November, a rehearsal was held for the winners in the various categories. We were shown how to walk onto the stage, receive the awards and complete the formalities. Even after the nearly two-hour rehearsal, we still did not know who had won first, second or third place.

The main ceremony began in the afternoon. Members of the royal family and various other dignitaries were among those present. Before the ceremony, several people came over to speak to me in particular. Seeing this, Zahidul Bhai said, “Pinu, it looks as if something big is waiting for you.”

I replied, “I hope I’ll at least win third prize!”

Then the awards were announced. First came the third prize, followed by the second, but my name was not called. Then the first prize was announced. My name was not there either. I was a little surprised. Was I not going to win any award at all?

Finally, the grand prize was announced. The presenter said that this year’s grand prize had gone to a photograph from Bangladesh. The photographer’s name was Pinu Rahman.

The photograph that had stood out to me from the very first time I saw it, had brought me international recognition. Now it is time to find the family in the picture. It will not be easy, but I have a few plans.