United News of Bangladesh

Nadia Samdani MBE, co-founder of Samdani Art Foundation and Dhaka Art Summit, has been honoured with the prestigious ‘Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ (Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Ministry of Culture. The ‘Chevalier’ (Knight) rank was conferred on her through the order yesterday, at the residence of the French ambassador in Dhaka’s Gulshan. The award is given to distinguished individuals for their creativity demonstrated in the cultural sphere or for their support and contribution to the dissemination of knowledge and work that enrich cultural heritage. The medal was handed over to Nadia Samdani by French Ambassador Marie Masdupuy on behalf of the French government, according to a press release. Nadia Samdani was bestowed with the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) title by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 – in recognition of her contribution to art and culture in Bangladesh, South Asia and the UK. Her investiture ceremony for MBE was held at the Buckingham Palace on February 23 this year, where she received her title from Prince William of Wales. Along with her husband Rajeeb Samdani, co-founder and trustee of Samdani Art Foundation, she is the first South Asian arts patron to receive the prestigious Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award in 2017.  

A child's curiosity about everything in this universe, no matter how big or small it is, with an unprejudiced mind makes a great artist that even Picasso tried to emulate. The same aptitude manifested when ethnic children from a remote place in Netrokona were handed a set of crayons. From a woman, sitting in an elegant posture and clad in a fantastic saree refreshingly dotted with leaves and flowers, to the deities they worship, they sketched their thoughtful ponderings and aspirations that are displayed at the capital's EMK Center, a faraway place from them they could not believe their art could be showcased at. The untapped potential of the children was spotted by Sultana Razia, the founder of Lightshore Foundation, on her visit to Netrokona's Baromari- Laxmipur village for various social welfare projects where she observed the lives of Garo and Hazong communities. Hit hard by the scourge of poverty, parents of children can barely afford to manage education for them. Still, the aspiration for helping them flourish through creativity and education. One particular talent unmistakably marked among the kids was their natural ability to sketch. Approached by Razia for training them in art, their parents readily agreed and sent them to a two-day art camp mentored by artist Morshed Mishu. And the result was awe-inspiring. Razia through her foundation and other organizations featured an exhibition of their artworks, titled 'A Song of Nature’s Children'.

An exhibition, a video performance and a musical concert were organized to celebrate the 'Boat project' on Sunday evening at Shyambazar Kheyaghat, Puran Dhaka. This exhibition was the result of a workshop titled 'Learning from Puran Dhaka: The Urbanity of Occupations along the Buriganga Riverfront', in which 50 students and faculty from Dhaka, Mumbai, Trivandrum, and Paris participated. A photo exhibition by students of Pathshala South Asian Media Institute was on display at  Shyambazar Kheyaghat. The exhibition was organized by the participating students of the workshop at different places at Puran Dhaka where the students were divided into 8 different groups to map life along the river, investigate endangered heritage and the micro economy. Also Read: 'Learning from Puran Dhaka' begins at AFD An entertainment event by Joler Gaan was held along the ghat (docks). The performance was organized on a traditional boat to commemorate Puran Dhaka’s intangible heritage. Video Performance by Ramona Poenaru and Gaël Chaillat of Compagnie Des Châteaux en l’air portrayed the customs and the daily life activities of the people along the ghat at Ruplal house through the projection. The 'Boat' project is curated by Ashfika Rahman "River Heritage: Learning from Puran Dhaka" is a long-running heritage initiative currently in its third chapter. It is led by Alliance Française, Goethe-Institut, British Council, the Spanish Embassy and the EU Delegation in Bangladesh, with support from the Embassy of the Netherlands.  

The three-day BRAC Hope Festival will start Thursday at the Bangladesh Army Stadium in Dhaka. The open-for-all event will cover three thematic areas – "A Tribute to Bangladesh," "Power of Potential," and "Building a World We Want," each day to highlight one theme. The festival will open every day at 11am and end at 9.30pm. Everyone can join the festival through pre-registration. Presenting a curated treasure of culture, the festival will feature a full array of daylong events and performances – puthi paath, story-telling, bioscope, puppet show, the world of play for children, exhibitions, and many others. Every day the festivities will be topped off with cultural performances in the evening by some of the biggest names from the cultural sphere of Bangladesh. Fun workshops with artisans, cartoonists, artists, architects, robotics experts and urban greenscapers are part of the festival. Two awards will also be presented at the Hope Festival to inspire the youths of Bangladesh. Amra Notun Young Changemakers Award will be conferred on five grass-root level young changemakers in recognition of taking ownership of solving social challenges. TAAGA Outstanding Young Professionals Award will be given out to women for their contributions to the workplace. Tomorrow cultural festivities of the day will begin with renowned actor Fazlur Rahman Babu and his group's puthi path. Bengal Parampara Sangeetalaya will take the stage, presenting the Raga classical music. Later on, a documentary will pay tribute to the role of women in the War of Liberation in 1971. Theatre group Prachyanat will stage "Protidiner Joddha," based on the life of Afsana Akter, who overcame all her family and social hurdles to become a successful gynaecologist. Events of the day will conclude with performances by Arnob and Friends and Lalon Band. Read more: 4th Bangla-India film festival to showcase rich shared cultural heritage  

To highlight the art of printmaking, Cosmos Atelier 71’s exclusive printmaking workshop titled “Impression of Rokeya's” by eminent art maestro Professor Rokeya Sultana came to an end on Saturday with a live printmaking session and daylong exhibition at the Garden Gallery, Baridhara in the capital. The exclusive intaglio process, softground and stencil workshop by Professor Rokeya Sultana was conducted with 10 young and prominent Bangladeshi artists from home and beyond — Asmita Alam Shammy, Roosevelt Benjamin, Chhobi Zulfiqar, Rifat Jahan Kanta, Farzana Rahman Bobby, Mohammad Rezwanur Rahman, Bacchu Miah Arif, Kamruzzoha, SM Ehsan and Indian artist Sukla Poddar. Inaugurated on January 23 at the Cosmos Atelier 71 in Malibagh, the workshop also featured four guest artists — renowned painter Afrozaa Jamil Konka, eminent photojournalist-artist Nasir Ali Mamun, veteran artist and freedom fighter Biren Shome and journalist-artist Zahangir Alom — alongside participating artists Sam Jamil Julian, Rumessa Mailloux and Sourav Chowdhury. On Saturday, the workshop wrapped up with live printmaking sessions for visitors and art enthusiasts, an exclusive exhibition and live musical performances by the artists at the picturesque setting of the gallery. Art maestro and workshop conductor Professor Rokeya Sultana and Cosmos Atelier 71-Gallery Cosmos Director Tehmina Enayet handed over the certificates to the participating artists at the event.

The prestigious Anannya Literary Award 1429 (2023) was handed to journalist and author Shahnaz Munni on Saturday in the Poet Sufia Kamal Auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum. The award is given each year by acclaimed feminist magazine ‘Anannya’. Eminent author Anwara Syed Haq presented the award to Munni as the chief guest of the ceremony, which was joined by Jahangirnagar University academician and author-researcher Hamim Kamrul Haque as the special guest. Anannya editor Tasmima Hossain chaired the event. "I would like to congratulate Shahnaz Munni on earning the Anannya Literary Award 1429. She is a prolific writer, and I believe she will achieve great success in her career,” she said. Sharing her joy over the achievement, Shahnaz Munni said: “For thirty years I have been writing, and this is the very first award I have ever achieved in my writing career. I am so grateful for this award and also to the fortnightly Anannya.” Shahnaz Munni was born on February 8, 1969. Alongside her identity as a successful author, she is a renowned television journalist and currently working as the chief news editor at News24.  Her literary works include 24 books, namely ‘Elo Krubdho Ondhokar’, ‘Badur o Brandy’, ‘Tritiyo Ghonta Porar Agei’, ‘Pan Sundari, ‘Nirbachito Golpo’, ‘Ami ar Amin Jokhon Azimpurey Thaktam’ and ‘Snaner Shobdo’, which is being published from Mowla Brothers at this year’s Amar Ekushey Boi Mela. Anannya Literary Award was introduced in 1993. The award honours a woman writer every year for her contribution to literature. A handful of eminent women writers have been conferred with this prestigious award over the years, including Selina Hossain, Rabeya Khatun, Niaz Zaman, Rizia Rahman, Nilima Ibrahim, Dilara Hashem, Rubi Rahman, Begum Akhtar Kamal, Jharna Das Purkayastha, Akimun Rahman, Nadira Majumdar and more. Read more: 10 promising, successful women receive Anannya Award 2021

A living exhibition and an open workshop titled "Learning from Puran Dhaka: The Urbanity of Occupations along the Buriganga Riverfront" began at La Galerie of the Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) Saturday. Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Bangladesh Charles Whiteley, Ambassador of France to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy and Embassy of the Netherlands in Bangladesh Chargé d'affaires Thijs Woudstra joined the opening ceremony. "It's a beautiful project. The heritage of Dhaka is very important and the heritage of Old Dhaka is extremely important," said Ambassador Whitely, adding that it is very exciting to see some students will be exploring Old Dhaka.

The long-awaited 6th edition of Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) was inaugurated on Friday at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in the capital. This marks the return of the summit which is regarded as Bangladesh and South Asian region’s biggest art and painting biennale exhibition platform, after three years of hiatus due to Covid-19 pandemic. Prime minister's private sector and investment adviser Salman F Rahman inaugurated the nine-day Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) at National Art Gallery auditorium on Friday morning. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Liaquat Ali Lucky, and DAS organizing committee chairman and Cosmos Foundation Honorary Advisor Emeritus Ambassador Farooq Sobhan were also present as the special guests. Read: 9th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival begins Saturday Director of Dhaka Art Summit and President of Samdani Art Foundation Nadia Samdani MBE, Trustee of Dhaka Art Summit and Samdani Art Foundation Rajeeb Samdani, and Managing Director and CEO of Golden Harvest Agro Industries Limited Mohammad Saker Shamim also joined the inauguration ceremony. Several influential personalities including Radwan Mujib Siddiq, grandson of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and trustee of Centre for Research and Information (CRI), and State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, among others, visited the Summit after its gala inaugural ceremony.

The 9th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF 2023), powered by Star Cineplex, is all set to take place from February 4-5 which will bring mobile filmmakers from 25 different nations, showcasing their talented creative visions. Twenty-six films have been selected from a total of 163 in five categories for this year’s festival: Open Doors, One Minute, Short Film, Vertical Film, and Mojo Story. The inauguration ceremony of this two-day festival will be held on Saturday at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) Permanent campus on Beribadh Road, Mohammadpur in the capital, which will be joined by media personality and Grey Group Bangladesh Managing Partner and Country Head Syed Gousul Alam Shaon as the chief guest. Films will be screened at the permanent campus on Saturday and at Star Cineplex, Shimanto Shambhar, Dhanmondi in the capital on Sunday, which will be followed by the closing ceremony. On Thursday, a press conference was held at ULAB’s Research Building at Dhanmondi in the capital. Festival director Mohammad Sambitul Islam, event coordinator Ismam Rahim Karib, and public relations manager Zannatin Tazrimin Rithi were present at the press conference and shared insights about the 9th edition of the festival. Regarding the eligibility of the submitted films, the organisers informed that filmmakers around the world have submitted their mobile-shot films in the Open Doors category. The "DIMFF Best Film" award will be given to the best film in this section. The Short Film category was contested exclusively by undergraduate and graduate students from universities. The "CinemaScope Best Film" award will be given to the best movie in this category. Students in grades 1 through 12 were the participants in the One Minute category, and the best film will get the "ULAB Young Film Maker" award. At the 9th edition of the festival, the "DIMFF Best Vertical Film" and "MSJ Best Mojo" awards will be presented to the best films in these two new categories. The film submission for the 9th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival started on April 3 last year, and the submission concluded on October 28. The jury board for selecting the best films in the Short Film, Mojo Story and One-Minute categories are filmmaker Senjuti Subarna Tushi (Jury Chair), alongside ‘Nonajoler Kabbo’-famed National Award Winning filmmaker Rezwan Shahriar Sumit and Pakistani filmmaker Ayaz Khan as Jury Members.  Along with the two jurors - French-Turkish director Berat Gokkus and Bangladeshi filmmaker Tasmiyah Afrin Mou, ‘Hawa’-famed executive producer and filmmaker Shimul Chandra Biswas will serve as the jury chair for the newly introduced Open Door and Vertical Film categories. With the tradition of focusing on a particular cultural heritage element as its festival theme, the DIMFF 2023 has chosen ‘Bioscope’ for this year’s theme. The festival will be documented by Filmism and supported by wardrobe partner Blackistic, food partner Chow-man, festival partner MINA, media partner Dhaka Post, and public relation partner Brandsmith. Star Cineplex is the title sponsor for the 9th edition of DIMFF. Chorusing the slogan “New Generation, New tools, New Communication,” Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF) started its journey back in 2015. Over the years, the festival has become a flagship event of the Media Studies and Journalism department of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). More information about the festival is available at www.dimff.net.      

The Bangla language has always been at the forefront of our national identity. Amar Ekushey Boi Mela (Book Fair) is a significant part of Bangladesh’s history, culture and literature. Every year, the book fair is held in the month of February. It is the biggest book fair in the country where publishers display and sell printed books under diverse categories. This fair offers great opportunities for the readers to meet their favourite writers, poets, novelists, and publishers face-to-face. Besides serving as a platform to encourage readers to read and buy books, the Boi Mela also works as a monthlong cultural hub – showcasing the diversity of Bangladesh. Let’s look into the history of the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela. CHITTARANJAN SAHA: STARTING BOI MELA FROM A MAT AT BANGLA ACADEMY PREMISES   Chittaranjan Saha was born in the Noakhali district in 1927. His publishing house Punthighar Prokashoni, located at Banglabazar in Dhaka, was burnt down in 1971. Chittaranjan Saha left Dhaka after March 26. He took shelter in Agartala and then moved to Calcutta (Kolkata) during the Liberation War. During the Liberation War, many prominent writers, artists, and journalists from Bangladesh had to stay in Calcutta as refugees. During that period, Chittaranjan arranged a meeting with some of the most prominent litterateurs residing in Calcutta. They decided to write and publish about the injustice and war in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan). Thus, Muktodhara was born. In February, 1972, Chittaranjan Saha laid a mat under the tree in front of the Bangla Academy building and put on display about 32 (33 according to some sources) books as a homage to the Language Movement martyrs of 1952. Though Chittaranjan Saha initiated the Boi Mela from a humble beginning, according to some sources, he was not the first person who started selling books at Bangla Academy premises in February. Ruhul Amin Nizami of Standard Publishers started displaying Russian books. Those books were very popular at that time for their rich content and affordable prices. Read More: Ekushey Book Fair to span entire February again after two years HISTORY BEHIND THE FIRST BOOK FAIR IN BANGLADESH Though Chittaranjan Saha is recognised as the initiator of Ekushey Boi Mela, the root of the book fair goes deeper. The first book fair in then East Pakistan was held in 1965. The initiative was taken by Sardar Jainuddin, who was born in 1918 in Pabna. In 1965, he started displaying some children’s books on the ground floor of the Dhaka University Library. At that time, he was working on a project for UNESCO regarding children’s books. In 1970, Jainuddin organised a book fair in Narayanganj in association with Narayanganj Club. As UNESCO declared 1972 the ‘International Book Year’, in December, Jainuddin took initiative to arrange a book fair inside Bangla Academy. Since then, Bangla Academy got directly involved with book fair events. Read More: Bangabandhu Memorial Museum: Witness to History and Tragedy THE JOURNEY OF EKUSHEY BOI MELA Chittaranjan Saha continued putting books on display and selling them at the Bangla Academy premises for a few more years. In 1976, getting inspired by this idea of selling books, other publishers came together and joined in. Bangla Academy merged with this initiative in 1978. Ashraf Siddiqui was the director general of Bangla Academy at that time, and he had an active role in the association of academy with the book fair. Bangla Academy’s association took Boi Mela to another level. In 1979, a book fair was held at the courtyard of Bangla Academy with the collaboration of ‘Bangladesh Pustok Bikreta O Prokashok Samity’ (founded by Chittaranjan Saha) and the Bangla Academy authority. Read More: Top Sculptures in Dhaka City