United News of Bangladesh

Sarkar Nahid Niazi's sixth solo art exhibition, titled 'Manyfestation' was inaugurated at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Friday. Art maestro Professor Shishir Bhattacharjee, Department of Drawing and Painting, Faculty of Fine Art, Dhaka University, attended the event as the special guest while Nadia Samdani, President of Samdani Art Foundation joined the event as the guest of honour. In her work, Sarkar Nahid Niazi attempts to give a new life to old, worn, and rusty systems around us. With a touch of aesthetics, she transforms the old into a new form. Through the use of colour and texture, she transforms solid and insipid materials such as wood into lively and interesting subjects. The artist enjoys presenting new and beautiful things through her work. Sarkar Nahid Niazi defines the boundaries of her art through the use of colour and form. This artist's works reveal that her art is both rhetorical and realistic at the same time, intended to build relationships. As Nahid's artworks create a relationship between utility and aesthetics, they also help to see the relationship between art and real life in a new light. This duality will make it possible for the viewer to experience the materiality and epistemology of this contemporary artist's work. There are around 25 artworks in this exhibition. The medium she used is painted acrylic on canvas, wood and carton (box). 'Manyfestation' is Nahid Niazi's 6th solo art exhibition. The artist participated in five solo exhibitions and about 20 group exhibitions at home and abroad. The exhibition will be open to all till June 13, Monday to Saturday from 3 pm to 9 pm.

The 25th edition of the National Art Exhibition began on Sunday at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA)’s National Art Gallery, returning to its full normalcy after being held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. Known as one of the most vividly celebrated art exhibitions of the country and one of the flagship artistic ventures of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) since 1975, this year’s National Art Exhibition is featuring 301 artworks by 261 artists from across the country. On Sunday evening, State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid inaugurated the exhibition as chief guest at the National Art Gallery auditorium. Independence Award-winning eminent artist Hashem Khan, artist Abdul Mannan, artist Monirul Islam and Cultural Affairs Secretary Khalil Ahmed were present as special guests at the inaugural ceremony. BSA's Director of Fine Arts Syeda Mahbuba Karim delivered the welcome speech and the inauguration ceremony was chaired by BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky, while BSA Salahuddin Ahmed delivered the vote of thanks. “This year is culturally significant for our country, as our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was awarded the prestigious Joliot-Curie medal on May 23, 1973, and that brings us the 50th year celebration of that honour. At the same time, we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the prestigious National Art Exhibition, and it is overwhelming to see all these captivating artworks from the talented, majestic artists of our country,” KM Khalid said at the event.    

Featuring 3 artworks from each of 190 elementary students – that’s a whopping 570 artworks – of the American International School Dhaka (AISD), the Elementary School Art Show opened on May 8, 2023. While observing the artworks, prominently on display at the school in Dhaka, one couldn’t help but be amazed by the ingenuity, passion and use of several mediums by these very young, budding artists – some of whom may go on to achieve national and international acclaim. A crucial factor behind that artistic journey is access to resources, encouragement from both parents and school, and platforms to showcase their works. All these elements seemed to be there for AISD students, as demonstrated through the exhibition and during conversation with the Elementary School Principal at AISD and the ES Art Teacher. About the objective of the exhibition, preparation behind it, and display, the art teacher said: “So, this is the second art show that we’ve had that’s been in the physical space. Each student had three pieces of artwork that were part of the show. They produced the artwork, making the general decisions about what’s going to go in the show, and then as a curator, I made the final decisions based on space and placement.” “The artworks are placed on the wall, and then anything that is 3D was either placed on a stand or on a table. They’re all arranged with the title of the artwork, the artist’s name and then what media they used,” the teacher said. “We have classes, so there is not often a time when the parents get to see what the kids do in the art room, and they’re working towards going into Middle School. Having a gallery or an exhibition is important as it makes them feel special. I mean, that’s actually what happens with art – it goes into a gallery, so it’s just giving that feel and making them feel that their artwork has value,” the art teacher explained why the exhibition is important.  

State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid on Friday said that the tradition of palm leaf scroll painting and etching can be included as UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage and Bangladesh’s National Museum will send proposals in this regard to the global organisation.  “Painting and writing on palm leaves is a unique artistic craft and is the first of its kind in Bangladesh. The renowned Bangladeshi artist Afrozaa Jamil Konka — the second daughter of the valiant hero Shaheed Col Jamil who sacrificed his life to save the Father of the Nation and his family — has decorated and designed the palm leaf scrolls based on the long poem 'Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo' by the France-based Bengali playwright Choyon Khairul Habib, symbolizing the various chapters of Bangabandhu's revolutionary life and the historical episodes of the nation. We will send an official proposal to UNESCO for including this procedure as part of its Intangible Cultural Heritage,” the state minister said. The state minister shared his remarks as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of an exclusive exhibition based on the unique project titled “Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo”, an epic verse engraved on ‘Taal Patar Puthi’ (manuscript on palm leaves) at the Nalini Kanta Bhattashali Gallery of the National Museum, Shahbagh in the capital. Bangladesh National Museum Director General Md Kamruzzaman, eminent artist Prof Hashem Khan, and Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Arts Dean Prof Nisar Hossain spoke as special guests while the welcome remarks were shared by Choyon Khairul Habib and artist Afrozaa Jamil Konka. “We all know that the palm leaf has multiple uses and the hand fans made with the leaves have been our lifelong companions before the availability of electric fans. The palm leaf scroll which we call ‘Puthi’ in Bengali, has been a great heritage element in our culture and my gratitude goes to Habib for such a wonderful poem on Bangabandhu and Konka for her majestic artistry,” Khalid said.  The engraving artist for the project was Prashant Maharana, a craftsman from the state of Odisha, India. The state minister conveyed his heartfelt thanks and congratulations to Shaheed Colonel Jamil Foundation for taking this great initiative. Choyon Khairul Habib, poet-playwright and the author of “Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo” shared the background story of this epic poem-turned-puthi, saying: “I have highlighted the history of Bangladesh, the evolution of the Bengali community and the nationality alongside the symbolic narrative of Bangabandhu in this poem.” “Since I started writing ‘Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo’, the incentive to preserve the work with palm leaf puthi was in my plan, and the very first person I thought of regarding the illustration was none other than Afrozaa Jamil Konka due to her connection to Bangabandhu through her great patriot father, Shaheed Colonel Jamil, and I can proudly say she did justice to the project.”

Commemorating the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, France-based Bengali playwright Choyon Khairul Habib and eminent Bangladeshi artist Afrozaa Jamil Konka have collaborated on creating a unique project titled “Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo”, an epic verse engraved on ‘Taal Patar Puthi’ (manuscript on palm leaves). At the Nalini Kanta Bhattashali Gallery of National Museum, the ‘puthi’ will be unveiled and showcased to the general audience through an exclusive exhibition – set to be inaugurated on May 12 at 3 pm. The concept of ‘puthi’ redirects to a book or manuscript which contains lyrical versions of spiritual text or mythical tales from Bengal. A ‘puthi’ could have pages made of bark, leather, wood, or even leaves. Before paper was introduced, these materials were commonly used. However, with the advent of mass use of paper and development of printing, this unique literary element was lost and almost became extinct. Read: ‘Impression of Rokeya’s’ concludes at Garden Gallery with live printmaking session and exhibition Choyon Khairul Habib has written the verse titled “Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo” which evolved around Bangabandhu’s revolutionary life – focusing on his role in the 1952 Language Movement to leading the 1971 Liberation War. This was written in 2020 on the occasion of Bangabandhu’s birth centenary, while the writer was residing in France. "In this epic poem-turned-puthi, I have highlighted the history of Bangladesh, the evolution of the Bengali community and the nationality alongside the symbolic narrative of Bangabandhu. I have been interested in Bengali puthi for a long time. From 2010 to 2019 when I wrote the operatic 'Julekha Trilogy', I read a lot of puthi. Since I started writing ‘Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo’, the incentive to preserve the work with palm leaf puthi was in my plan,” according to Choyon Khairul Habib.    

Chhayanaut, the country’s esteemed cultural institution known for its traditional flagship event on April 14 to welcome the Bengali new calendar year, is once again gearing up to welcome 1430 with the traditional Pahela Baishakh cultural festivity at Ramna Park in the capital. This marks the second consecutive year that Pahela Baishakh will be observed during the holy month of Ramadan, and the festivity this year has been planned accordingly respecting the unity and essence of the holy month, the institution informed at a press conference on Monday at the Chhayanaut Shanskriti Bhavan in the capital’s Dhanmondi. The press conference was joined by Chhayanaut Vice-Presidents Dr Atiur Rahman and Khairul Anam Shakil, General Secretary Laisa Ahmed Lisa, and its Joint Secretary Jayanta Roy. At the press conference, it was informed that the senior and junior artists of the institution have been rehearsing for the last two months to welcome the new year in style with their combined and enthralling performances, under the Banyan tree at the Ramna Park. The two-hour-long cultural event will comprise group and solo songs, and poetry recitations, starting at 6:15 am. “In general, more than a hundred of our performers participate and showcase their musical performances every year at Chhayanaut's Pahela Baishakh live event at Ramna. The festivity was peacefully observed last year during the month of holy Ramadan, and this year we are hoping to continue the tradition as well,” Chhayanaut General Secretary Laisa Ahmed Lisa said at the press conference. It was also informed that the stage installation and preparation are already completed, and the organisers expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Housing and Public Works for the allocation of basic permissions regarding the venue, as well as the security enforcement unit of the government and the volunteers of 13th Hussars Open Rover Scout Group for the cooperation. Chhayanaut, founded in 1961, has earned global fame for organizing the traditional, extravagant cultural festivity of Pahela Baishakh at Ramna Park every year. The only exception was in 1971, during the Liberation War of Bangladesh, and then in 2020-2021 due to the global outbreak of COVID-19. One of the most coveted and long-awaited festivities in Bangladesh, the traditional cultural presentation of Chhayanaut marking the Pahela Baishakh has earned its fame as one of the grandest regular cultural celebrations in the world. Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar will telecast the program from the venue, live from 6:15 am on April 14. The event will also be broadcasted on Chhayanaut’s official YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ChhayanautDigitalPlatform.   

Home is the place where souls find peace and satisfaction. Different rooms of a house have different purposes. While interior designing or renovating a home, preserving the distinct architectural character of rooms and spaces should not be ignored. Wall paint can be a means to make the home more homely, cozy, functional, and unique.  Significance of choosing the right paint color for different rooms  While planning the interior design of a specific room, proper color selection has great significance. Color can help create illusions. The perfect wall paint can make a small room look bigger and a large room more intimate.  Color also contributes to light reflection in a room. Light shades can make a room look brighter that has less access to natural sunlight; while darker shades can help avoid glare in a very sunny space. Read More: Choose the Right Curtains for Your Home: The Ultimate Guide The wall colors of interior rooms not only enhance the aesthetics of a house but also represents the taste of the homeowner. Not everybody's choice is similar. Adults and senior persons usually like mild wall colors while children and teenagers may love their walls to be painted in bright colors. As each color has unique meanings and significance, wall paint can also impact the mood. Therefore, the homeowner can choose different wall paint colors for different rooms.  Useful Tips for Interior Paint Color Selection  Defining the right wall paint color can be confusing. To make a decision about color paints, all it needs is a little confidence and some guidelines from interior designers and color experts. Here are some effective tips to select wall paint colors for a room. Read More: How to organise your home office Find Inspiration When choosing the wall paint color for a specific room or space of the home, it needs to be assured that the resident won't get tired of that color. At the time of selecting wall colors, the occupant can search for the versions of his or her favorite colors that are muted with grey. Several colors can be blended to get the desired hue.  The occupant can take color inspiration from the places and spaces he or she loves and visits frequently. It can be nature-inspired or a mix of shades, etc. Thus, the occupant will be able to match that feeling and find happiness in his or her own room.  Know the Meaning of Colors Different colors can denote different emotions. Before picking a specific color or mixing several shades of colors for wall paint, one must understand the power of the colors. The color of the bedroom walls can be different from that of the living room or study room.  Read More: Tips to Keep Home Cool in Summer Without AC

Chorusing its slogan “real stories by real people," the maiden edition of the Community Digital Storytelling Festival (CDSTF) is inviting the aspirant potential storytellers across the country, to promote and celebrate the art of storytelling through the use of portable electronic devices. Set to be a flagship event by the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMC) of Daffodil International University (DIU), the maiden edition of the festival will take place on February 10-11, next year. Aspiring storytellers can submit different genres of stories in this festival, including journalistic stories, non-fiction and documentaries. Participants can send their stories and take part in the festival free of charge, according to the organisers. Through Digital Storytelling Festival, interested storytellers who are backward in the society or deprived of modern facilities and do not get opportunities to publish their stories in the mainstream media, will get an opportunity to showcase their short stories. The festival is aiming to encourage the youth to create digital stories through modern technology, especially smartphones. Storytellers can submit their stories under four different categories: independent category, DIU best community digital story category, one-minute category and journalism category. Selected stories will be screened at the festival, and the best stories will be awarded. Regarding the festival, DIU Department of Journalism, Media and Communication head Aftab Hossain said: “The major goal of this festival is to gain our netizen’s attention and present the stories of people from all backgrounds so that we can collectively contribute to the creation of a great society.” Dr Abdul Kabil Khan, JMC Associate Professor and the chief adviser of the festival, said: “In Bangladesh, the idea of ‘Community Digital Storytelling’ is relatively new. Brief visual stories containing tales relating to the lives of individuals from many walks of life in our communities can be made via the use of digital technology, and we hope to provide a platform for the stories of underexplored storytellers through the festival.” "For the maiden edition, we have selected 'Environmental Issues' and 'Sustainable Development' as our themes. We will feature more themes like these in our future editions as well," Dr Khan told UNB. Registration process for the festival is set to be launched soon, and details regarding the festival are available on the Facebook page of the festival, https://www.facebook.com/CDSTF2023/. 

“A red rose is not selfish because it wants to be a red rose. It would be horribly selfish if it wanted all the other flowers in the garden to be both red and roses, ” according to Oscar Wilde.  Rose shares a unique meaning and purpose. Red roses are often associated with love, and romance; while white roses are symbols of friendship. From red to coral, each hue conveys a different message, making roses an incredibly versatile flower. Let’s explore the meaning of different colors of roses to choose the right rose for the true expressions of the heart.  What Are the Different Meanings of Different Color Roses? Red Roses The red rose is perhaps the most iconic among all roses, and for a good reason. It is a symbol of passion. Gifting red roses can be a nice way to express love, romance, affection, desire, appreciation, or sincere respect for someone when words are not enough. It is always a classic choice to convey love on occasions such as proposals, weddings, a partner's birthday, marriage anniversary, Valentine's Day, or any special moment with a partner. Read More: Visit Sadullapur Golap Gram, Rose Village at Savar for Day Tour White Roses White rose is often associated with purity, innocence, and calmness. It is a popular choice for weddings and is sometimes called bridal roses because of their associations with new love and enduring loyalty. White roses can also mean a fresh start and unending love. A bouquet of white roses is the ideal way to express your appreciation and gratitude for someone or to mark a new beginning. They are a respectful and appropriate choice for any occasion. Pink Roses The pink rose is a traditional symbol of elegance and grace. It is often given as a sign of admiration and gratitude, conveying the message through its gentle beauty. Depending on the shade of pink, a rose can represent different things. A light or pale pink rose can stand for grace, joy, and happiness, while a darker or hot pink rose represents thanks and appreciation. Pink roses are among the most popular flowers in the world, and they go with just about anything. Gifting a pink rose can be a lovely way to express feelings. Lavender Roses Lavender roses have a long history of symbolizing enchantment and love at first sight. Their gentle, muted hue conjures up beauty and a sense of regal majesty. While a more vibrant shade of purple might be used to represent royalty, lavender roses are a subtle way to express feelings of affection and love. They are a great choice for a bouquet that will leave a lasting impression on the recipient. Read More: Bangladesh Flower Society: Monthly sales revenue to cross Tk300 crore in February Black Roses Symbolically, the black rose is often associated with death, mourning, and the darker side of life. It can also represent mystery, rebellion, and the unknown. In some cultures, black roses are considered a bad omen or a symbol of evil, while in others, they are a symbol of rebirth or a new beginning. Black roses have been used in various forms of art, literature, and popular culture. They have been featured in Gothic and horror-themed works, as well as in romance and fantasy genres. In some cultures, black roses are also used in funeral arrangements and other forms of mourning.

With the theme "Wear clothes that tell a real story of people and the planet," the Fashion Design Council of Bangladesh's (FDCB) flagship venture the Bangladesh Fashion Week 2023 began at Aloki Convention Center in the capital's Tejgaon Thursday night. Known as the most prestigious fashion event in the country, Fashion Week has brought collections of 18 members of the FDCB and interesting creations of six designers from India. The exhibition brings together fashion designers, retailers and luxury stakeholders in one place, putting the spotlight on sustainable and long-lasting fashion. This year, the two-day fashion week is being organised by Buy Hair Now, MTB, Strix, Maya, Ujjwala Care, and Natura Care. The event started with a tribute to the late designer and fashion pioneer Emdad Haque, who died on December 23 last year. Emdad was the vice-president of the FDCB.