Dienacht Publishing presents Call Me Heena, the book of Bangladeshi photographer Shahria Sharmin.
Call Me Heena is a personal and visual exploration of the Hijra community in Bangladesh and India — those who live beyond the male-female binary, often misunderstood and pushed to the margins, yet deeply rooted in South Asian history. Once revered in Hindu and Muslim traditions, Hijras held sacred roles in royal courts and religious ceremonies. That recognition was erased under British colonial law, leaving generations to face stigma, violence, poverty, and exclusion.
This work is an attempt to listen — to witness lives too often overlooked, and to reflect the tenderness, strength, and survival encountered over more than a decade of close relationships with the community.
Shahria Sharmin : Call Me Heena
Dienacht Publishing
Hardcover, foil stamped linen
Size: 19 x 24 cm,
Duotone printing
104 pages including a pop-out leporelllo and a 8-page index printed silver on black paper 16-page booklet on cover, 20-page booklet inside
500 copies
58 € + shipping
https://www.dienacht-magazine.com/2025/06/09/shahria-sharmin
