United News of Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Guwahati has paid tribute to late Assamese singer-songwriter Zubeen Garg on the first anniversary of his death, recalling his memorable performance at Bangladesh’s National Day celebration in Guwahati in 2022. In a post on its verified Facebook page on Saturday, the Assistant High Commission described Garg as an extraordinary artiste whose music and voice transcended borders and touched millions of hearts. Garg died in Singapore on September 19, 2025, at the age of 52. A Singapore state coroner later ruled that his death was an accidental drowning, with no evidence of foul play. Recalling his connection with Bangladesh, the Assistant High Commission said Garg gave a memorable performance at the National Day celebration organised by the mission at ITA Machkhowa in Guwahati in 2022. “His powerful voice and captivating presence made that evening truly unforgettable,” it said in its tribute. The mission said Garg’s music reflected the shared cultural bonds between India and Bangladesh, demonstrating how art and music can transcend borders and bring people closer. “His voice may have fallen silent, but his music will live forever in the hearts of countless admirers,” it said. Garg’s first death anniversary was marked across Assam with tributes from fans, family members and artistes, while a three-day programme was held at his memorial in Kamarkuchi near Guwahati. The Bangladesh Assistant High Commission concluded its tribute by remembering Garg as an artiste who would remain “forever in our hearts.”

For artist Sabyasachi Hazra, art has never been confined to a canvas or a gallery; it has grown alongside his memories, friendships, struggles and everyday encounters. Life has been an unhurried journey for him. At an intimate Art Talk in Dhaka on Saturday, Hazra revisited that journey, recalling his ancestral home, the communist literature that entered his life as a teenager, his early work with little magazines and the friendships that shaped his understanding of art and design. Hazra was speaking at ‘Contemplation: An Unhurried Journey Through Art, Purpose, and Life’, the 12th session of Cosmos Art Echo, organised by Gallery Cosmos and Cosmos Atelier71 at Cosmos Centre in Malibagh. Gallery Cosmos Artistic Director Sourav Chowdhury moderated the session. Sabyasachi Hazra began by recalling his childhood in Khulna and his ancestral home at Itna village in Lohagara, Narail, where he spent his first six years. He then screened an 11-minute documentary, Hazrabari, centred on the ancestral home and his family history.

Poetry and songs echoed through the auditorium while canvases outside captured the weariness of the road, the pain of displacement and the determination to survive, as Dhaka’s Liberation War Museum hosted a poignant remembrance of the refugee experience of 1971 on Saturday. Organised by Smrity ’71, the commemorative programme, titled “Refugee Life of ’71” and “September on Jessore Road,” brought together poetry, music and visual art to revisit the memories and struggles of millions who were forced to flee their homes during the Liberation War. It opened with the national anthem and was moderated by Jinnat Ara Haque. Speaking about the programme as a whole, Faruk H. Khan set out the historical background of the 1971 refugee crisis and of September on Jessore Road, the poem by the American poet Allen Ginsberg. He described how the human catastrophe of people who left their homes and ordinary lives to cross the border had found a universal language in Ginsberg's verse.

Japan Festival 2026 was held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) on Friday, bringing together Japanese traditional performances, martial arts, music, cuisine and hands-on cultural experiences. The Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, in cooperation with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, organised the festival, which was held in Bangladesh for the first time in seven years.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has said that Kazi Nazrul Islam should also have been awarded the Nobel Prize, citing the Bengali poet’s extraordinary literary contribution and influence on collective consciousness. “Coming to this point in time, my realisation is that Nazrul too should have been given the Nobel Prize,” Trivedi said at a special cultural evening in Dhaka on Thursday. He was speaking at ‘Nazrul Sandhya’, organised by the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) of the High Commission of India at Chhayanaut Auditorium to commemorate the 50th death anniversary of the National Poet. Trivedi highlighted Nazrul’s role in challenging established ideas and inspiring people through his poetry and writings.

Chinese porcelain artist Chen Qing has a vivid memory of her grandfather and the only occasion when he wrote down the formula for her family’s distinctive red pigment. He instructed her mother to memorize the formula before burning the paper just minutes later. Since then, the secret has been passed orally from one generation to another. “My mother did not reveal the formula to me until I was over 30,” Chen said. Her family has practiced the craft in Jingdezhen, known as China’s “Porcelain Capital,” since around 1860. The city is in Jiangxi province, about 1,180 kilometers (735 miles) southeast of Beijing. Jingdezhen has a pottery-making history stretching back more than 2,000 years, beginning during the Han Dynasty. Its porcelain sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2026. Small details can take years to master Jingdezhen’s craftsmen have preserved techniques once used to make porcelain for China’s imperial court, with the knowledge later spreading to private artisans. Chen’s ancestors adopted some of those traditions following the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. “The craft is very difficult for an outsider to master,” Chen said. “A family might spend nearly a century developing a single technique.” Two tables in her studio are covered with brushes, unfinished porcelain pieces and pigments. Working quietly under a lamp, Chen carefully applies each stroke. Her fingers never touch the porcelain surface. Instead, she braces her hand against the outer edge while firmly holding the brush to create delicate and precise designs. Painting a porcelain teacup can take several days. Even a tiny particle of dust or a drop of sweat can spoil the work, forcing her to begin again. Landscapes are among the most challenging scenes to paint because their boundaries are often indistinct. A mountain peak, for example, may appear emerald green before gradually transitioning into brown and other warmer shades farther down the slope. “Mastering a craft is a lifelong process,” Chen said. “Few people are willing to spend more than 10 years learning such a painstaking craft.”

Gallery Cosmos and Cosmos Atelier71 will host the 12th session of their ongoing artist talk initiative, Cosmos Art Echo, featuring noted Bangladeshi artist, graphic designer and researcher Sabyasachi Hazra. Titled ‘Contemplation: An Unhurried Journey Through Art, Purpose, and Life’, the Art Talk will be held at 5 pm on Saturday at Cosmos Centre, Malibagh, Dhaka. The session will focus on Hazra's extensive journey across art, design, typography and publication, while creating an opportunity for participants to engage with his thoughts on artistic practice, creativity, purpose and life. Through the ongoing Cosmos Art Echo initiative, Gallery Cosmos and Cosmos Atelier71 bring together artists, educators, researchers, art practitioners and enthusiasts for conversations that encourage dialogue and knowledge exchange around contemporary art and visual culture. Born in 1978, Hazra holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Fine Arts, majoring in Drawing and Painting, from the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University. He has worked as a creative editor and artist for numerous newspapers and weeklies and has established himself as a prolific illustrator and graphic designer. His portfolio includes around 3,000 book-cover designs, alongside hundreds of posters, logos and brand guidelines. A significant part of Hazra's practice revolves around Bangla typography, lettering, calligraphy and publication culture. His work explores the visual and aesthetic dimensions of Bangla letters as well as their connections with art, design and cultural history. In publishing, he has authored Chitrolipi, a pictorial guide to the Bangla alphabet, in 2015, followed by Rong Tulite Chopchap, an art appreciation guide, in 2018. His other publications include In the Quest of Bangla Typography (2022), focusing on Bangla lettering and calligraphy; Tales of Bangladesh (Ed., 2023), which explores national and historical elements related to Bangladesh; and Bornomala, A Collection of Bangla Primers (Ed., 2023). His extensive body of creative work has earned him several recognitions, including the Qayyum Chowdhury Memorial Award (2018) for Kathaprakash's book stall design, the Gold Award in the Conqueror Corporate Identity Design Contest (2015), and the Shaheed Munier Choudhury Memorial Award (2015) for the aesthetic design of the book Buddhist Heritage of Bangladesh. He has also received the Swopnoful Swadhinota Puraskar and awards for album-cover design, including the Citycell Channel i Music Award. Beyond his creative practice, Hazra has been involved with social and cultural movements from an early age and has also participated in charitable initiatives. The 12th session of Cosmos Art Echo is being organised as part of Cosmos Atelier71's continuing efforts to foster dialogue, knowledge exchange and meaningful engagement with art and visual culture.  

More than 50,000 spectators gathered along both banks of the Titas River on Saturday to enjoy a traditional boat race organised by the district administration of Brahmanbaria after a two-year hiatus. The race, suspended in 2024 and 2025 due to various circumstances, was held this year to preserve the traditional rural Bengali heritage. The 1.5-kilometre race started at 3:30pm from the Shimrailkandi Gaongeram point in Brahmanbaria municipality and ended at Medda Government Shishu Paribar. A total of 10 boats from Sadar, Nabinagar and other upazilas took part in the competition, with four boats advancing to the final after winning their respective heats.  

Drik Picture Library organised the Golam Kasem Daddy Lecture 2026 at DrikPath Bhaban in the capital earlier Friday evening, with Bangladesh National Museum Director General Tanzim Wahab delivering the lecture titled ‘July 36: A museum in the making’. The lecture was organised as part of Drik’s 37th anniversary celebrations and focused on the transformation of the former prime minister’s residence, Ganabhaban, into the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum. At the beginning of the event, photographer, activist and Drik Managing Director Shahidul Alam paid tribute to Golam Kasem Daddy, highlighting his contribution to the history of photography in Bangladesh. Shahidul said Drik has been organising the lecture series annually since 2009 as part of its anniversary celebrations to honour Daddy’s memory and legacy. He described Daddy as not only a pioneering photographer but also a writer and lifelong learner, recalling that he continued to embrace new technologies even at the age of 101.

The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) of the High Commission of India in Dhaka organised a special dance theatre performance, ‘Dhora Taru Kabyo - Nature’s Tale’, inspired by Kobi Guru Rabindranath Tagore’s celebrated poem ‘Brikkho Bondona’ (Ode to Trees), at the Chhayanaut Auditorium on Thursday. Led by acclaimed dance exponent and choreographer Pooja Sengupta, Turongomi Repertory Dance Theatre presented the production, which explored the enduring relationship between nature, humanity and the environment through dance and theatre. The event was attended by Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury, senior officials of the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, eminent personalities from the field of Rabindra Sangeet, renowned dancers, cultural enthusiasts, students and young professionals.