The horrors of World War II come to life at a photography exhibition
Harun ur Rashid
Sixty five years have past since the World War II began with the German attack on May 9, 1939. And it has been 59 years after the end of that devastating War. But the memories of those terrible days are still fresh in the minds of those who were involved in that war or became victims of the senseless carnage. The erstwhile Soviet Union, now the Russian Federation, is one of those countries which took part in defending the sovereignty and fighting the aggression of the German Nazi over their land.The Russian Cultural Centre has organised a photography exhibition to mark the 65th year of the World War II. 'The exhibition marks our stand against any form of terrorism lurking in the world at present,' said Ambassador of the Russian Federation Oleg S Malginov while inaugurating the exhibition. Justice KM Sobhan, the President of Bangladesh-Russia Friendship Society, was also present at the inauguration ceremony. About 30 photographs, all in black-and-white except one or two, are on display and depict different stages of the Second World War that the Soviet Union went through. They show both the horrifying and inspiring aspects of the War: the brutal Nazi cruelty and the unity displayed by the Soviet nation in order to combat that cruelty. The Nazi brutality is seen in photos showing Nazi aircrafts bombing on the Soviet land. The horror is further intensified by a photo depicting a human hand hanging out of a furnace that the Nazis used at the concentration camps to cremate the Russian people alive. Dead bodies, thousands of them, pile up on ground in one photo that gives only a small hint of the large number of killed people. On the other hand, many photos show the spirit of the Soviet people in driving away the enemies from their land. Women replaced the men at armoury plants and other places while the men were out at the warfronts. A photograph shows such women working on bombs at a plant. Another photo shows volunteers digging anti-tank ditches for the safety of the people. People helping the Red Cross, medical units of the army and other voluntary troops project the fraternal unity among the Soviet nation. Finally, there are photographs capturing the eternal moments of victory: Field Marshal Von Paulus, 16 other Generals and the southern pocket of 6th Army surrender in Stalingrad on January 31, 1943; the Berlin Conference of 1946 in Potsdam; and the Victory Parade of June 24, 1945 at the Red Square. The exhibition is a declaration against any kind of war and terrorism--a voice for peace shared by the people across the world. The exhibition remains open from 11 am to 7 pm till September 10.
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