The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay
May 2016 back issue
by Arka Dutta
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
Bishwa Ijtema is an annual global Islamic congregation held at Tongi, Bangladesh by the river Turag. It lasts three days
and is attended by over five million Muslims, making it one of the largest congregations after the Hajj to Mecca and the
gathering of Muslims in Karbala, Iraq. Devotees from approximately 150 countries, including the host country,
Bangladesh, attend the three-day Ijtema seeking divine blessings. The last day attracts the largest crowds with people
flocking to the prayer ground for the ‘Akheri Munajat’. Roads get closed and trains constantly plying between Tongi
and Dhaka become the only means of transportation. The sheer mass of people who travel to Tongi by these trains is
a sight by itself. The prayer ground of 0.65 sq Km near Tongi rail station, clearly falls short of accommodating such
large number of devotees and many of them perform the prayer on the road, at Tongi station or on the trains.
