Arts-&-Culture
Dhaka Makers unveil a tapestry of talent in 2nd edition
Emerging as a unique platform for over 100 local and contemporary artists and artisans, Dhaka Makers, an independent arts and crafts festival opened its second season on Thursday at the Aloki Convention Center in the capital.
After its highly acclaimed inaugural season back in June last year, the platform which has already established itself as an urban rendezvous for creative, contemporary local artists and artisans, the second edition of Dhaka Makers aims to continue showcasing their work and foster connections within the creative community on an even greater scale.
A wide variety of events are available throughout the four-day festival, such as arts and crafts classes, a Makers' Market with over 100 entrepreneurs, an art gallery called Jadughar that showcases the works of 85 artists, and a scrumptious food pavilion curated by Sameera Wadood.
The festival celebrates Dhaka's cultural wealth with nightly performances by performers from different musical styles, including Tashfee, Labik Kamal Gourob, Imran Ahmed Trio, Joler Gaan, and others.
City Bank takes centre stage as the Title Partner for the event, with support from other partners such as EMK Center and Goethe Institute. Strategic Partners include Aloki Convention Center, Emerald Events, ICE Today, Deshar Works, and Bhai Bhai Productions. Media Partners contributing to the festival's outreach are Haal Fashion and Somoy TV.
PM unveils new graphic novel on Bangabandhu’s travel to China
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unveiled a new graphic novel based on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's book "Amar Dekha Noya Chin" (The New China as I Saw) on Thursday, February 1, following the inauguration of the Ekushey Book Fair. The unveiling took place at the Centre for Research and Information (CRI) stall located in the Bangla Academy premises, where she also purchased a copy of the book.
The Prime Minister entered the fair at 4:40 pm and, after visiting several stalls and viewing the exhibits on display, she made her way to the CRI stall.
Read: ‘Amar Dekha Noya Chin’: Illuminating Bangabandhu’s travel account
Nasrul Hamid, a trustee of CRI, introduced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to those present at the stall before she unveiled a major attraction of this year's book fair, the graphic novel "Amar Dekha Noya Chin". The Prime Minister also participated in a photo session with the book. Following this, she visited several other stalls before departing from the fair premises.
Like every year, the CRI stall is set up in the Bangla Academy premises, with the newly published graphic novel "Amar Dekha Noya Chin" being the highlight of their display. CRI’s first foray into this genre was the graphic novel "Mujib", aimed at introducing Bangabandhu to children and young adults. Following the success of "Mujib", they planned to adapt another popular book written by the Father of the Nation into a graphic novel format.
The graphic novel's publisher is CRI trustee Radwan Mujib Siddiq, with illustrations by Sabyasachi Mistry. Siddiq Ahmed contributed to the narrative and dialogue, while the project's curation and editing were managed by Shibu Kumar Shill.
CRI stall ready to welcome visitors at Ekushey Book Fair
At the Ekushey Book Fair 2024, the Centre for Research and Information (CRI) stall is all set to welcome bookworms. Located at the Bangla Academy premises as usual, this year’s stall introduces a new attraction — a graphic novel based on another book by Bangabandhu, titled “Amar Dekha Noya Chin” (The New China as I Saw). Alongside this novel, the stall will also feature the previously published graphic novel “Mujib” and other books by CRI.
Nasrul Hamid, a trustee of CRI, was present on Thursday to oversee the final preparations of the stall, including arranging the books and ensuring everything was in order before the unveiling of the graphic novel. He shared on his verified Facebook page, “The CRI stall (No. 878-879, Bangla Academy premises) is ready for visitors at the Ekushey Book Fair. Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will soon unveil the graphic novel ‘Amar Dekha Noya Chin’.”
CRI shared that “Mujib” was their first venture into graphic novels, aimed primarily at graphic novel enthusiasts and to present Bangabandhu in a way that children and teenagers could easily understand. Following the great reception of “Mujib”, CRI planned to adapt another popular book by the Father of the Nation into a graphic novel for readers.
The graphic novel’s publisher is CRI trustee Radwan Mujib Siddiq, with illustration by Sabyasachi Mistry. Siddiq Ahmed worked on the narrative and dialogue, while Shibu Kumar Shill was responsible for project curation and editing.
The cover of the book shows a young Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a suit and his iconic glasses, with images of significant Chinese landmarks in the background. This book recounts Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s journey to China in 1952 to attend a peace conference — a trip he couldn’t fully document at the time but wrote about in detail while in prison in 1954. Nearly 65 years later, in 2019, this travelogue was published as a book with the assistance of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangabandhu.
‘Amar Dekha Noya Chin’: Illuminating Bangabandhu’s travel account
Center for Research and Information (CRI) is poised to make another significant contribution to Bangladesh’s literary landscape with the release of a new graphic novel titled “Amar Dekha Noya China” (New China in My Eyes). This graphic novel artistically portrays the profound insights and experiences of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation, during his pivotal 1952 visit to China.
In a year marked by upheaval, Mujib’s journey to China exposed him to diverse developmental concepts. Despite his subsequent imprisonment by the Pakistan Army, Bangabandhu meticulously documented his observations and reflections two years later while in captivity.
Read: All set for Ekushey Boi Mela 2024
This graphic novel is not just a historical recount; it represents a transformative approach to narrating history. “Amar Dekha Noya China” comes after an earlier landmark initiative of CRI that saw a series of ten episodes on Mujib’s life – the first graphic novel in the country based on the autobiography of the Father of the Nation. “Mujib”, the graphic novel series, earned high praises from top cartoonists, writers, as well as young readers.
Through these initiatives, CRI’s objective is to kindle patriotism in young minds through the engaging medium of graphic novels.
Read: Winners of Bangla Academy Literary Award 2023 announced
These graphic novels provide a rare glimpse into the mind of a leader who, starting as an ordinary boy from a remote village, ignited a movement for independence.
The launch of “Amar Dekha Noya China” is eagerly anticipated at the Ekushey Book Fair, starting tomorrow (February 1, 2024). The book will be available at the CRI stall (878-879), offering readers a unique window into the early life of a leader whose vision shaped a nation’s destiny.
Published by Radwan Mujib Siddiq, a trustee of CRI, this graphic novel was sketched by Sabbasachi Mistri and the project director is Shibu Kumar Shill.
All set for Ekushey Boi Mela 2024
The month-long Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2024 is scheduled to take place from February 1 to February 29.
The fair will be held on the Bangla Academy premises and the adjacent venue at the Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital, according to a press conference held on Tuesday at the academy's AKSB auditorium.
Books worth Tk47 crore sold in Amar Ekushey Book Fair in 27 days
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the fair on Thursday, February 1.
She will also distribute the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2023 among the recipients at the inaugural ceremony and unveil the covers of several new books, including "Collected Works of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Volume-2," published by Bangla Academy.
Curtain falls on Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2023
Bangla Academy Director General and Amar Ekushey Book Fair Directory Committee President poet Nurul Huda, Bangla Academy Secretary Dr Md Hasan Kabir, Director of Public Relations-IT and Training Department Sameer Kumar Sarkar, Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2024 associate BKash Limited’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Mir Nawbut Ali and Secretary of Amar Ekushey Book Fair Committee Dr KM Mujahidul Islam briefed the details of this year's Ekushey Book Fair at the press conference, conducted by the academy’s Public Relations Officer poet Pias Majid, on Tuesday.
Kid’s zone of Ekushey Book Fair abuzz with little book lovers
Bangla Academy President and novelist Selina Hossain will chair the innaugural ceremony of the book fair, while Cultural Affairs Secretary Khalil Ahmed will be present as a special guest.
Bangla Academy Director General, poet Nurul Huda, will deliver the welcome remarks.
The territory of this year’s book fair will cover a total area of 11,50,000 square feet, like the previous editions. A total of 937 units have been allocated to 635 organisations this year.
Out of this, 173 units have been allocated to 120 organisations on the academy premises and 764 units to 515 organisations at the Suhrawardy Udyan section, compared to 901 units to 601 organisations last year.
The fair will also have 37 pavilions (one on the Academy premises and 36 in the Suhrawardy Udyan section).
At the press conference, it was announced that the Bangla Academy is solely organising the fair this year without any event management associates for the first time since 2006 and has brought some changes in setting up book stalls and other facilities, including food courts.
"This year, the outer path of the fair has been relocated closer to the Kali Mandir gate due to the metro rail station's placement. There will also be eight entry and exit ways in the TSC, Doyel Chattar, MRT Basing Plant, and Engineering Institution areas," Dr Mujahidul Islam said at the press conference.
The food stalls are located within the Engineers' Institution's boundaries and have been structured in a way so that they won’t create any disturbance to the readers attending the book fair. The fairgoers will also have access to the prayer area, restrooms, and other facilities," he added.
The traditional "Shishu Prohor" segment will take place for the child fairgoers every Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 1 pm The dedicated "Shishu Chattar" will remain in its previous place, adjacent to the temple area, like last year.
There will be seminars on the main stage of the fair venue at 4:00 pm every day, followed by cultural events. The Little Magazine premises have been shifted near the open stage of Suhrawardy Udyan, which will cater to around 170 LittleMags stalls.
The fair venue was first extended to Suhrawardy Udyan in 2013 to accommodate more spaces for the fair, besides its fixed venue at the Bangla Academy.
There will be strict security arrangements in and around the venue by the Bangladesh Police, RAB, BGB, and other security enforcement agencies to prevent any unpleasant incidents. The entire fair zone will be closely monitored with more than 300 CCTV cameras.
The "Chittaranjan Saha Memorial Award" will be distributed to the best publishers. At the same time, the "Munir Chowdhury Memorial Award" will be conferred upon three organisations for publishing the best books during the 2023 fair.
In addition to that, the "Rokanuzzaman Khan Dadabhai Memorial Award" will be awarded to the best children's book, and the "Artist Qayyum Chowdhury Memorial Award" will be awarded to the best-designed stall at the fair.
The month-long book fair is arranged every year in February to commemorate the sacrifices of people who gave their lives on February 21, 1952, for establishing Bangla as the mother tongue.
The traditional Amar Ekushey Book Fair began informally in 1972 on Bangla Academy premises; however, the academy officially took the responsibility to arrange the fair regularly, every year since 1978.
It was then named "Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela," and a guideline was laid out in this regard in 1984.
The fairgoers can visit the fair from 3 pm to 9 pm on regular days and from 11 am to 9 pm on holidays. However, all entrance points will be closed after 8.30 pm.
On February 21, International Mother Language Day, fairgoers can enter the fair at 8 am.
Exhibition of Japanese Dolls “NINGYŌ- Art and Beauty of Japanese Dolls’’ to be held in Dhaka February 2
An exhibition of Japanese Dolls titled “NINGYŌ- Art and Beauty of Japanese Dolls’’ will be held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on February 2.
The event organized by the Japan Foundation, in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh will remain open to visitors till Monday, February 16.In this exhibition, the themes are divided into 4 sections: “Ningyō to pray for children’s growth,” “Ningyō as fine art,” “Ningyō as folk art,” and “Spread of Ningyō culture. “NINGYŌ” means “dolls” in Japanese.
Read: 'Shilpakala Padak' 2021 & 2022 announced honouring 20 cultural luminaries, institutions
This exhibition explores the Japanese doll and its culture nurtured in the history and folklore of Japan with a focus on the " Ningyō to pray for children’s growth " used in the seasonal festivals, "Ningyō as fine art " for appreciation, which is characterized by various techniques, technologies, and styles, " Ningyō as folk art " that focus on local diversity and simple beauty, and finally " Spread of Ningyō culture " which covers the diversity of dolls continuing to today.
The Embassy of Japan hopes people in Bangladesh will be charmed by the beautiful presentations of the Japanese dolls.
Winners of Bangla Academy Literary Award 2023 announced
Recipients of the Bangla Academy Literary Award-2023 have been announced, honoring 16 individuals for their notable contributions to various aspects of Bangla literature.
Bangla Academy announced the names of the winners on Wednesday, according to a press release.
Bangla Academy felicitates rickshaw painters for achieving UNESCO recognition
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to hand over the awards officially during the inauguration of Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2024, it said.
Shamim Azad won the award for her achievements in poetry.
Names of Bangla Academy Literary award winners announced
Novelists Nuruddin Jahangir and Salma Bani jointly won the award for best fiction writer.
Playwrights Mrittika Chakma and Masud Pathik were acknowledged for their outstanding work in the field.
BSA, Bangla Academy celebrate PM Hasina's 76th birthday
Tapankar Chakrabarty received recognition in children's literature category, and ornithologist Inam Al Haque was honoured for his contributions to the environment/science field.
Tapan Bagchi was bestowed with the award in acknowledgment of his significant contributions to folklore.
Afroza Parvin and Asaduzzaman Asad were acknowledged for their writings on the Liberation War, while Saifullah Mahmud Dulal and Md Mojibur Rahman received awards for their work on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Ishak Khan was recognized in the biography category.
‘Rising Echoes’ begins at Batighar showcasing effects of climate change
Portraying pitfalls of development and miseries caused by climate change effects, a 10-day exhibition titled 'Rising Echoes' began on Saturday at 'Batighar – Smritite Sharaney Aly Zaker', Asiatic Centre rooftop in the capital.
The exhibition features a total of 31 artworks and photographs.
In this exhibition, photographer Mrittika Gain showcased adversities faced by people of Kalabogi village in Dakop, Khulna, due to climate-induced river erosion. through her photographic lens.
‘Praktoni Sammilan’: Chhayanaut announces gala rendezvous in March
Simultaneously, the other participating artist Hlubaishu Chowdhuri has highlighted the disfigurement of natural landscape due to construction of Kaptai Dam in Rangamati, through her paintings.
The 10-day exhibition titled ‘Rising Echoes’ has been organised by Mongol Deep Foundation and curated by Shamsul Alam Helal, a Curator, Educator and Visual Artist. He has curated exhibitions in Chobi Mela and Dhaka Art Summit.
'Shilpakala Padak' 2021 & 2022 announced honouring 20 cultural luminaries, institutions
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) announced the names of the 20 recipients for its prestigious Shilpakala Padak on Monday, in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to their respective artistic and cultural mediums.
A total of 20 artists and organisations were unanimously selected (10 out of 12 fields) for the Shilpkala Padak in the years 2021 and 2022 by the evaluation committee formed to review the applications, according to the BSA Shilpkala Padak policy for the final nomination of the deserving artists.
According to the official press statement of BSA, the recipients for the class of 2021 are: - Md Nuruzzaman (instrumental), Sharmin Hossain (dance), Sadi Mohammad (vocal), Biren Shome (fine arts), Professor Abdus Selim (dramatics), Mohammad Nohir Uddin (folklore), Dr Matin Rahman (film), Kazi Madina (recitation), MA Majid (jatra artist), and Jatiya Rabindra Sangeet Sammelan Parishad (creative cultural unit).
The recipients for the class of 2022 are: Foad Nasser (instrumentalist), Saju Ahmed (dance), Elen Mallik (vocal), Professor Alok Rai (fine arts), Khairul Alam Sabuj (dramatics), Sunil Karmakar (folklore), Rafiqul Islam (photography), Mir Barkate Rahman (recitation), Aruna Biswas (jatra artist), and Dr Safiuddin Ahmed (creative cultural researcher).
Subject to the kind permission of the President and formally fixing the date, the Shilpakala Padak awarding ceremony will be organised soon, BSA stated.
Each award recipient will get a gold medal, a cheque for Tk 1 lakh, and a certificate.
The award has been conferred on deserving creative personalities for their continuous contributions in several fields of arts, culture, entertainment, and literature since 2013; however, the award could not be conferred on the recipients in 2019 and the ceremony could not take place in 2020 due to the global pandemic of Covid-19.
‘Praktoni Sammilan’: Chhayanaut announces gala rendezvous in March
Bangladesh’s leading cultural institute Chhayanaut announced on Friday that it is going to host a grand reunion of its alumni, past and current teachers, cultural workers and organizers from home and abroad, titled ‘Praktoni Sammilan’ on March 2 this year (Falgun 18 in the Bengali calendar year 1430).
The second-ever gala rendezvous in the institution’s six-decade-long history, the event is aimed at reuniting those who have studied, taught or been associated with the institution for at least two years in Chhayanaut Sangeet Bidyayatan's long-term music courses.
On Friday, the announcement of this rendezvous came at a press conference at the institution’s Ramesh Chandra Dutta Memorial Auditorium at its Sangskriti Bhaban, home to its over 150 teachers and 5,000 students, in the capital’s Dhanmondi.
Chhayanaut Executive President Dr Sarwar Ali, General Secretary Laisa Ahmed Lisa, and ‘Praktoni Sammilan’ Convenor Rokaiya Hasina Neely briefed the media about the event.
“In 1963, Chhayanaut established its Sangeet Bidyayatan intending to practise the musical culture of Bengal and inculcate the Bengali ethnicity in the learners - and since then, the institution has been immersed in teaching the taste of mainstream Bengali music including Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Sangeet, Folk Sangeet and various genres of classical dance and pure music. With this gala rendezvous, we are aiming to commemorate and celebrate the unity of this majestic institution with all of our learners, teachers and associates,” Dr Sarwar Ali said at the event.
‘Praktoni Sammilan’ Convenor Rokaiya Hasina Neely said that the day-long celebration will feature commemorative sessions, dialogues, cultural events and more. The decoration of the event will be Jamdani-themed, and there is a plan to publish a memoir book and photo exhibition on the early-mid-current phase of the Sangeet Bidyayatan featuring students across generations.
“However, most likely, having a calm conversation, dancing in harmony, playing instruments to set the mood, and singing in unison with the companions would be the most enjoyable activities for everyone. We are anticipating such a majestic rendezvous with utmost cooperation and participation of our alumnus and associates,” Neely added.
Registration for the event is currently underway for interested alumni and associates at Sankskriti Bhaban and also through the institution’s official Facebook page and website. The registration will remain open until the end of January, and further details regarding the event will be shared shortly, according to Chhayanaut General Secretary Laisa Ahmed Lisa.
Chhayanaut was founded in 1961 to establish the cultural rights of the oppressed Bengali netizens in then-East Pakistan under the Pakistani regime. Poet Sufia Kamal was the founding President of the institution.
Aside from its cultural curriculum, the institution is famed worldwide for organizing the traditional, grandiose cultural festival of Pahela Baishakh at the capital’s Ramna Park every year. One of Bangladesh's most iconic and popular events, the traditional Pahela Baishakh festivity of Chhayanaut has gained the reputation as one of the world's greatest regular cultural festivities.