Ziaul Huq, the organiser from Words 'N Pages, says that this is the 17-year-old photographer's third successful attempt. He feels this is the prelude to a successful cultural exchange of expatriates and locals who come to this bookshop. He says that he found Iftekhar promising and hopes that the display will bring in viewers and connoisseurs of photography. The exhibit is on till January 27.

The framing of the pictures, in glass and narrow black frame, plus the careful juxtaposition in the café is surely admirable. The gallery lighting and placing have always been vital. It is high time that not only in the West, but also in Bangladesh, we realise that photography is an art form, that is available at a much cheaper price than parallel paintings of portraits -- still-life or landscapes.

The first picture shows an elderly person with sharp features, resting his forehead on his fist. We get a silhouette of this against a stark white background. This is fairly moving, when one cares to pause and contemplate over it. We then move on two a two-coloured collage of postcard sized photographs in which Iftekhar has taken snaps of Rafiqun Nabi, seen juxtaposed with his famous cartoon character, "Tokai". It has a white background. The picture placed on top has the artist facing the camera while the other has his profile and a part of the bust till the chest, as in many official portraits. Bangla calligraphy in black, done as a witty footnote completes the thought provoking composition.

In another picture, an amazing black-and-white scene from the countryside, one sees the wheels of a buffalo cart, reminiscent of Morshedul Islam's famous repetitive scenes from his film Chaka. Whizzing at the back is a speeding white and gray modern automobile as a contrast. Among other pictures is the portrait of an exotic Kathak dancer, with her jhumar, and the rest of her flamboyant accouterment, including her dazzling jewellery. The depiction of the sensuous dance recalls the many scenes on stage and films from the subcontinent.

A photograph that depicts a man's profile, staring at the apparently giant-sized bulb in the darkness, while people in the floor above peep in at him is another intriguing entry.

Another thought provoking picture is that of a hanging wooden statue, in the shape of an eagle-spread, suspended from metal chains, seen atop a wooden coffin, covered by white fabric. The meditating old man with the long stringy beard, sitting on a bed -- in the midst of a yellow blossom-covered field -- recalls the Bangladesh mustard fields, praised so often in poetry, paintings and prints.