Photography is a tool that should be used to help others understand things words cannot express, things that get lost in translation, things that are muddled by language barriers. It gives people the opportunity to be in that moment, to truly feel what is taking place, to see the entire story in a single still image. Photography has no language, imagery is understood by all.
Here the photo taken by Taslima Akhter shows two people embracing in the final moments of their lives. They were trapped in a devastating fire in a garment factory that killed over 1,000 people in Savar Dhaka, Bangladesh. When a person is abruptly faced with death, what goes through ones mind? What were their final words? What were their last thoughts? How tight did they hold one another? Was there solace because they had each other? As disturbing as the image may appear, it resonates beauty in the story it tells, a story of compassion, of true human spirit. I bet they didn't even know each other. Sadly, it sometimes takes the most tragic of moments to show how truly beautiful people can be.
