Children of working class backgrounds, form a unique aspect of Bangladeshi culture. While being children with all the curiosity, mischief, and playfulness that we associate with that age, they have a maturity developed through survival, a razor sharp ability to separate the rhetoric from the genuine, and a remarkable self confidence, that make them very special commentators of their own reality. The charm that they exude due to their keen sense of humour, and their guts, is deceptive. They are aware individuals conscious not only of the barriers that they need to operate within, but also of the exploitation that they sometimes inescapably find themselves in. They talk straight, and they talk hard, and they have developed a sense of caring, that has been necessary for their collective survival.

Stories that have emerged about working class people have invariably been stories arousing sympathy for the poor and respect for the benevolent, and have not addressed the politics of inequality and exploitation, or the power of the elite. In a country where most people can neither read nor write, images remain a powerful method of communication and entertainment. It was felt that images produced by working class children, could perhaps most effectively overcome this inequality. This collective attempt by these working class children of Mirpur "Out of Focus", and Drik, remains one of the few examples where such complete authority has been questioned.

Drik has now been working with the children for over seven years. Despite their many disadvantages, the children have been remarkably successful. With major international exhibitions, successful television and radio broadcasts, and publications in mainstream media under their belt, the children, through their own media company, will ensure that their voices are heard.

- Shahidul Alam