In this issue

Cover Story

An Uncompromising Master

There are few individuals whose exit from the world is as devastating. A pioneer in bringing traditional Bangla theatre to an urban audience as a writer of incredible depth and versatility, the compiler of the country's only Bangla anthology on theatre, an ardent researcher of indigenous performing art forms, an unconventional teacher, a philosopher, nature lover -- the list of titles for this remarkable man is endless. Thus his untimely death at the peak of his literary career is all the more shattering. Yet he has left behind him the richest and most unique legacy of epic drama that will be cherished and celebrated for eternity.
The journey towards his dream to establish a distinct Bangla narrative stream has been a long one and intricately parallels Selim Al Deen's sojourn of life, which has been anything but ordinary. It is a journey of a precocious young boy whose extraordinary intimacy with his roots and his relentless search for knowledge eventually collides in adulthood, to create this literary genius whose multi-dimensional intellectual prowess has been compared to that of Rabindranath.
SWM speaks to some of those closest to him to conjure the image of Selim Al Deen, the man and the uncompromising master of Bangla theatre.

Cover Photo: Nasir Ali Mamun
Cover Design: Manan Murshed

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