still sailing my paperboats (2018)

in 2017, malda, a small village along the border of india and bangladesh experienced a devastating flood. after hundreds lost their homes, cattle, and belongings, the village began rebuilding efforts.

samir, 13, recalled having to evacuate his home along with his little sister and grandmother, as both his parents were pursuing job opportunities in delhi. after watching their cattle drown, samir’s grandmother fled with the two children to higher ground, over a makeshift bamboo bridge that some villagers had built. a few months later, when samir returned to his destroyed home, he decided to learn how to weave fishing nets in order to make a living.

villagers of all ages were impacted by the flood. rothobala, 85, had been living alone for several years after becoming widowed. when the storm first hit and her house began collecting rainwater, her neighbors came by with an inflatable raft they had received, from a local aid organization, to help carry rothobala to higher ground.

the flood had a disproportionate impact on a section of villagers, who live squarely between india and bangladesh, on a small strip of “no man’s land”. border security forces in both countries, who abandoned their post shortly after evacuation began, disallowed aid organizations from operating in this area, causing villagers to become stranded and resorting to climbing through a drain pipe to sneak into indian land for contraband aid. ultimately, villagers relied on each other for shared evacuation materials, inflatable rafts, and emergency food supplies after the flood, and continue to rely on each other as rebuilding efforts continue.