We Live to Fight

In Bangladesh, people practice different forms of martial arts, including the traditional forms known as “Bangladeshi martial arts”. Initially, during the British period, various Bangladeshi martial arts were originated for the need to protect villagers from Zamindars (landowners), who used to send lathial groups to collect taxes from villagers forcibly. The official journey began after the liberation by founding the Bangladesh Judo and Karate Federation in 1972 and the Bangladesh Martial Art Confederation in 1997.

Many martial arts clubs provide basic self-defence training to children and girls against sexual harassment in public places. Many children learn martial arts as a form of entertainment. Many male and female martial artists work in the film and drama industries and promote martial arts in TV films. Some indigenous communities in Bangladesh also practice different martial arts separately. However, despite the international records, many players and even the clubs often suffer from poor financial conditions due to the lack of funding. Also, considered an underground sport, they don’t get enough attention from the media either.

“We Live to Fight” is an ongoing project that explores the underlying cultures, lifestyles, emotions, history, personal stories, politics, and underground fighting scenarios of different martial arts communities in Bangladesh.

This project was one of the finalists in The W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund for Student Photographers 2021 and recipient of The Alexia Student Grant 2023. This is an ongoing project and on this page, I have uploaded a short edit of this ongoing project.

A boxer poses for a photo before attending his fighting match at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) in Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 26, 2021.

People enjoy Boli Khela, a traditional martial art also known as Bangladeshi martial art, after two years of suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic in Chittagong, Bangladesh on April 25, 2022. It was the 113th edition of the popular and traditional wrestling competition in Bangladesh.

Babul Reza (31), a professional boxer from Chuadanga district, takes his position on the stage while his teammates observe him during a fighting match of Bangladesh Boxing League (BBL) Championship 2021 organized by Bangladesh Professional Boxing
Society at JAFF Arena in Dhaka, Bangladesh on September 23, 2021.

Tanzid Khan (14), a Mixed Martial Art (MMA) player shows his gesture during a timeout of a fighting match organized by Habib’s MMA Academy in Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 13, 2020.

M.M.A. Shahjahan (55), professionally an Electrical Engineer and also an Executive Member at Bangladesh Taekwondo Federation, covers his face by hand during telling his past stories about his martial career at his house in Dhaka, Bangladesh
diptych with an archival photo showing a portrait of him with a sword taken in 1984. “I was trained by Nokibul Alam Khorshed,
one of the pioneers of Martial Art in Bangladesh, and got my black belt in Karate in 1987. I also worked as a Karate instructor. I took a break from academic activities for a while to build my engineering career. It is very difficult to pursue a full-time martial art career as the industry isn’t fully developed yet and lacks money. Tough some people have survived in this industry, I never had the courage considering myself as a full-time martial art player. Considering my past records, Bangladesh Taekwondo Federation gave me a place in their executive committee panel in 2020 and I am grateful to them.”, he says.

Dildar Hasan Dilu (49) poses for a portrait holding a sword, that was gifted by his master, in Diamond Martial Arts Training Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh on May 16, 2022. He is a President Medalist martial artist and one of the pioneers of Kung Fu in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Lathial Bahini - the official association of Bangladeshi martial art "Lathi Khela" - brings out a rally on its 90-year anniversary, where they felicitated the female pioneers of this traditional game from all over the country in Kushtia, Dhaka on September 02, 2023.

A Karate player carries a mat to the storage room after finishing his practice in Mirpur Indoor Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh on August 16, 2022.

A person wears a costume of a tiger, which is the official mascot of the 3rd Asian Savate Championship hosted in Mirpur Indoor Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh on January 12, 2022. In 2022, Bangladesh hosted the Asian Savate Championship for the first time.

Masum Parvez Rubel (right), 61, talks about his Karate career, his Karate institution, his upcoming plan and his present situation in the movie industry of Bangladesh during a press conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh on December 16, 2023. Rubel is considered a pioneer in the movie industry who popularized martial arts among the mass people through the action scenes in the films he acted in.

Naifa Myameen Zaara (09) receives her orange belt in Karate after a belt exam during a prize-giving ceremony in Dhaka, Bangladesh on August 26, 2023.

A boy takes a hit while practising Karate in one of the local martial arts clubs in Dhaka, Bangladesh on May 26, 2022.

Md. Yasin Sharkar (14), an amateur Mixed Martial Art (MMA) player, practices during a practice session at Invictus BJJ & MMA,
one of the local martial art clubs, in Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 11, 2022. Yasin’s father trains him in this club hoping to make him a professional MMA fighter and bring him to the world championship stage in the future.

Materials used for Karate training are placed at a local karate club in Dhaka, Bangladesh on June 15, 2023.

Md. Rois Uddin (right) and his two granddaughters pose for a photo with traditional sticks in hand during a tournament of Lathi Khela, a traditional martial art in Bangladesh, in Kushtia, Dhaka on September 02, 2023.

An injured MMA player receives treatment from his teammate during a local tournament organized by Habib’s MMA Academy in
Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 13, 2020.

Wushu players along with their national coach practice on a gymnasium floor with a portrait of A J M Nasir Uddin, former mayor of Chittagong city, hung on the wall in M.A. Aziz Stadium, Chittagong, Bangladesh on March 12, 2021.

Nokibul Alam poses for a photo at Mirpur Indoor Stadium gallery 28 years after returning to Bangladesh from Canada, where his past students teach martial arts to the young generation at present. “I started martial art in 1976 and started teaching from 1980. I
founded ‘Judo-Karate Center’ (former) in 1981 where many renowned martial artists emerged from. Many of my students teach karate to the younger generation and I am proud of it.”, he says.

Portrait of Shihan Kitamura Tetsuro, considered the father of modern karate in Bangladesh, June 25, 2023. "I came to Bangladesh in 1985 with the help of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as a karate instructor and since then I have been teaching karate to Bangladeshi students. I fell in love with the people, students, and the environment in Bangladesh. I was the head coach of the Bangladesh Karate Federation but the higher authority made me resign from the federation by insulting me. Because I always resisted their corruption. But in spite of that incident, I want to dedicate the rest of my life teaching karate to Bangladeshi people and die here.", says the 61-year-old former national coach of the Bangladesh Karate Federation.

Amranul Faysal a.k.a. Killer Machine, one of the young promising Boxing players and former Mixed Martial Art (MMA) player,
flexes his muscles in front of a mirror after an intense practice session. He is a 3 times national champion and has 2 international wins in MMA. Later, he left MMA and started playing as a professional boxer. “As the professional boxing community of Bangladesh is quite underdeveloped, I started boxing hoping to make the industry better. I'll fight not just in the ring but also to eliminate all the odds outside the ring, and set an example for my fellow boxers.”, he says.

Photo of Md. Joni Mia (32) (left), his wife (right), and his niece at his house in Dhaka, Bangladesh on August 28, 2023. "My father was killed by some thugs when I was a child. Since then, I wanted to learn martial art to protect myself and my family. I started learning kung fu and later switched to karate. As I belong to a lower-class family, I had to do two part-time jobs alongside learning martial art to earn decent money. In 2022, during a national karate tournament, my left testicle exploded while fighting against my opponent due to an injury. As my financial condition was very poor, for two days after that incident, I couldn't treat myself properly. Later, doctors pushed some medicine and shrank the testicle into a marble size to save it. I still practice karate and recently earned a black belt. I now also work in a shoe factory. Though the body pain occasionally rises, I still dream of pursuing my martial art career and having a baby with my wife.", Joni says.

Reflection of a group of Karate players practicing in National Sports Council gymnasium, Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 02, 2021.

Lovely Hoque (26), current General Secretary of Bangladesh Students' Union (Dhaka Metropolitan Unit) and self-defense instructor of Pritilata Brigade, an all-female platform to protest all kinds of sexual harassment against women, poses for a portrait at Teacher-Student Centre (TSC), University of Dhaka in Dhaka, Bangladesh on January 07, 2022. “I have faced many incidents of
sexual harassment in my life. But whatever the situation is, I, at least have the guts to face those harassers and can defend myself using my martial art / self-defense techniques. I am a Mixed Martial Art (MMA) player myself and teach girls of all ages self-defense techniques through Pritilata Brigade. But I wish we had a society where we didn’t have to encourage girls to learn how to protect themselves.”, she says.

Two archival photos showing a portrait of Nasima Aktar Jui (32) after winning a gold medal in a national karate tournament in 2005 (right) and a photo with her teacher Juel Osmani after winning a bronze medal in the South Asian Federation (SAF) game in Sri Lanka in 2006 (left). Nasima is a two-time national champion and first-ever female trainer of Shotokan Karate at the Bangladesh Karate Federation. She was also the first-ever gold medalist from her town (Chittagong).

Children enjoy a Mixed Martial Art (MMA) match organized by Habib's MMA Academy projected on a white projection screen at an open building in Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 13, 2020.