Series description
Forest workers of the Sundarbans of Bangladesh enter a land ruled by tigers and crocodiles. With few safety measures or alternatives, ritual and belief become their tools of survival. Before going to the Sundarbans they perform Bonbibi Puja, believing Bonbibi — ‘The Lady of the Forest’ — will protect them. Carrying talismans, soil and cloths blessed by religious leaders, the forest workers confront danger through belief. Despite this, many die or return injured from tiger and crocodile attacks; some never return at all. These images document necessity, where faith replaces safety and survival rests on fragile hope.
Bonbibi
Bonbibi, the forest guardian, stands at the edge of the Sundarbans as faith takes form. For those who depend on the forest, she is not myth, but protection invoked before every journey into tiger and crocodile territory. Prayer becomes the first line of survival.
© Md Harun Or Rashid, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Still Life, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Blessed Talismans
Before entering the Sundarbans, forest workers receive blessed talismans from religious leaders. They believe that if they have this amulet with them, tigers and crocodiles will not attack them.
© Md Harun Or Rashid, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Still Life, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Holy Towel
Forest workers believe that tigers and crocodiles will not attack them if they are carrying a blessed holy towel.
© Md Harun Or Rashid, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Still Life, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Holy Soil
Before entering the Sundarbans forest, some workers have soil blessed by religious leaders, in the belief that it will protect them from tigers and crocodiles.
© Md Harun Or Rashid, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Still Life, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Marked Territory
A tiger’s footprint marks an invisible boundary between life and death. For forest workers in the Sundarbans, belief functions as a survival strategy in a landscape governed by predators and uncertainty.
© Md Harun Or Rashid, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Still Life, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Scars of Belief
Nazrul is a forest-dependent worker from the Sundarbans who entered the mangroves to harvest crabs. Facing constant threats from tigers and crocodiles, he carried a blessed cloth, which was given to him by a religious leader. He survived a tiger attack in this landscape where belief often replaces safety.
© Md Harun Or Rashid, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Still Life, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Marked by the Tiger
Halim carried blessed soil into the mangroves, believing it would protect him from tiger and crocodile attacks. Despite this, he was attacked by a tiger. He survived and the scars on his body remain as evidence of ‘faith, risk and survival.’
© Md Harun Or Rashid, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Still Life, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards