Month-long exhibition ‘NOOR’ by artist and painter Ronni Ahmed recently begun in the capital in both offline gallery and virtual platform. The exclusive, solo exhibition started on April 14 at Bengal Art Lounge, Gulshan Avenue, marking both the occasions of the first day of Ramadan and Pahela Baishakh 1428. But the ongoing countrywide lockdown forced the exhibition to go virtual in association with art agency ARTcon. Showcasing Ahmed's personal and artistic journey toward Sufism, NOOR features 48 paintings and five installations, along with a premiere screening of the film ‘Taslima’s Garden’. Read Two-month long art show on Sheikh Hasina ends with tributes to Bangabandhu The works in the exhibition are themed on the mystical and romantic aspects of Sufism, where light and enlightenment are emphasised. An Artificial Intelligence (AI) art project by the artist can also be viewed in a VR tour of his own studio.

Banks and financial institutions will remain closed during the upcoming lockdown from April 14-21. Bangladesh Bank issued a circular Monday notifying this, referring to the instruction of the Cabinet Division.  It said all scheduled banks will remain closed during the government-announced embargo. But the employees and officials of the banks will remain at work during the time.  Also read: Banks to operate from 10am to 1 pm for general transactions on Monday,Tuesday The bank authorities will take measures about keeping open of their branches, sub-branches or booths located at the different air, sea and land ports (ports and customs as area) in consultation with the port and customs authorities, it added.  “For the sake of providing banking services, the banks can keep open such branches and authorised dealer (AD) designated branches open as per requirements and operate the head offices with limited manpower during the period," said the BB circular.  Also read: Lockdown: Banks to operate from 10am-12:30pm for general transaction The BB also asked the banks to take necessary  measures to ensure adequate cash at ATM booths and internet banking service for the sake of all time transactions through ATM and cards during the period between April 14 and 21.

A number of offices and houses were vandalised and set on fire by locals in Faridpur’s Saltha Upazila on Monday night after a man was injured in an apparently unprovoked attack by a public servant. The Upazila Parishad, residence of Upazila Nirbahi Officer, police station, office of Assistant Commissioner (land), upazila agriculture office, and sub-registry office, among others, were vandalised and some were torched. Vehicles of Saltha UNO and the AC Land were also set on fire, said Upazila Parishad Chairman Wadud Matubbor. Also read: Shop owners, workers stage demo protesting closure of markets Additional law enforcement units from Faridpur brought the situation under control.

Bangladesh passed the first day of its weeklong lockdown on Monday.  A record rise in the number of cases in recent days prompted the government to go for the tough measure, the second time since Covid-19 cases were first reported in March last year. On Sunday, when the lockdown announcement came, health authorities recorded 7,087 new cases. A day later, the number was 7,075. Only essential service providers are allowed to operate during the lockdown. But shop owners in Dhaka and Chattogram came out on the streets and demanded that the operation of businesses during the lockdown be allowed. They incurred huge losses during last year’s Eid festivals when the country was under lockdown to tackle the transmission of the virus. Traders see their highest sales during the Eid season. With Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest festivals of Muslims, scheduled to be celebrated in mid-May, an extension of the lockdown will be devastating for them, the traders said. Meanwhile, the people seemed reluctant about following the government's orders. For many small shops and businesses, it was business as usual. In many areas, police forced the shops to close but they reopened as soon as the policemen went away. People seemed reluctant about abiding by health guidelines. Although the number of people wearing masks has apparently increased, they are still ignoring the physical distancing rules and crowding tea stalls and roadside shops for evening chats. The following photos were taken from Dhaka and Chattogram.