“Bangabandhu is the lone patriotic leader of Bangladesh who is irreplaceable. His unconditional love for Bangladesh and Bangladeshi people was unimaginable. I was so lucky and fortunate to capture significant moments of Bangabandhu through my lens during his prime time,” the legendary photographer said.
He was talking to UNB after the inauguration of his 59th solo photographic exhibition ‘Joy Bangabandhu’ at the La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka in the capital.
French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean-Marin Schuh inaugurated the exhibition marking the birth centenary of Bangabandhu. Eminent artist Shahabuddin Ahmed also joined the inauguration as the guest of honour.
“I neither had any institutional education on photography, nor even a press identity during the prime time of Bangabandhu in 1971. Yet I managed to capture some iconic portraits of the great leader. He even complimented me once that his psychology had been examined through my camera – and that was an incredible honour for me,” Mamun added.
“We have photographs and documentaries of Bangabandhu and our Liberation War, but those came through foreign photojournalists who had comparably better technological equipment. Nasir, a young photographer during that era, captured all these images from his heart. He is a glorious representation of our youths during the prime time of Bangabandhu,” Shahabuddin Ahmed said.
It is astonishing to see how good his photographic knowledge and vision was even during that black and white era, Alliance Française de Dhaka’s Director Olivier Dintinger said, adding that they are extremely proud to be the organiser of this exhibition.
Mamun, known as a legendary photographer in Bangladesh, took many portraits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the early seventies and recorded his rare moments from close up. After the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971, Nasir Ali Mamun’s camera defined portraiture in Bangladesh that eventually ushered in and changed the landscape of portrait photography in the country.
Being ‘the poet with the camera’, Mamun has taken some of the most iconic portraits Bangladesh has ever seen. His black and white images display a beautiful yet enigmatic and equivocal coalescence of light and shadow.
The special exhibition will remain open till March 24 except March 13 and 14 when the gallery will be closed.
Enthusiasts and visitors can visit the exhibition from Monday to Thursday from 3pm to 9pm and Friday to Saturday from 9am to 12pm and 5pm to 8pm.