::New Year Special 2010::

"Baul Samrat" Shah Abdul Karim and Photographers Naib Uddin Ahmed, Dr. Nowazesh Ahmed pass away
Known nationwide as "Baul Samrat," mystic bard Shah Abdul Karim died of old age related ailments at a Sylhet hospital on September 12. He was 93. Abdul Karim was born nearly a hundred years ago. The gifted rhymester learnt from and was inspired by his surroundings, the people and nature and in time turned into a living legend. The river Kalni, which flows very near to Karim's home, was a muse to the bard. His songs metaphorically speak of the unsolved riddle of creation.

Celebrated photographer Naib Uddin Ahmed, elder brother of eminent photographer late Dr Noazesh Ahmed, passed away at Comfort Hospital in the city in December at the age of 84. He had been suffering from various complications for a long time. He is considered a pioneering Bangladeshi photographer and was born in Paril village under Manikganj district. He left photography in 1971 as the brutality meted out by the Pakistani army affected him profoundly.

Dr. Noazesh Ahmed (born 1935) was a guest speaker at the finale of "Celebrating Life", a programme organised by The Daily Star and Standard Chartered Bank, held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. While leaving the venue, he collapsed and was immediately rushed to National Institute of Cardio Vascular Diseases where attending doctors pronounced him dead. In his last speech at the "Celebrating Life" programme, Dr. Ahmed said that photography deserves undivided dedication. "Nowadays people tend to think anyone carrying a camera is a photographer. One needs much dedication to be a photographer," he said. Dr. Ahmed much like his brother was considered a pioneering Bangladeshi photographer.

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia performs at Dhaka Club
According to mythology, "bansuri" (South Asian transverse alto flute) is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha. Legends narrate how the tunes of bansuri would drive the women of Braj into a frenzy.

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia further enhanced the bansuri playing style with his innovative techniques and gave the instrument a higher status. The Indian maestro performed live at Dhaka Club on October 23.

Starting with Raaga Bageshri (usually played late at night, articulating the emotion of a woman waiting to be reunited with her beloved), the Pandit continued with dhrupad, Raaga Misra and more. The duration of each composition was approximately 15 minutes.

International Ibsen Seminar and Theatre Festival '09
The International Ibsen Seminar and Theatre Festival 2009 was held between November 12 and November 23 at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and in Jahangirnagar University.

The festival was organised by Centre for Asian Theatre in association with Centre for Ibsen Studies (University of Oslo), Jahangirnagar University, Norwegian Embassy (Dhaka), ICCR, BSA and Grameenphone.

The 13-day festival featured staging of 23 adaptations of Ibsen plays by 19 local and foreign troupes. Participating Bangladeshi troupes were: Centre for Asian Theatre, Nagarik Natya Sampraday, Aranyak Natyadal, Natyakendra, Prachyanat, Theatre Art Unit, Bangaranga Natyadal, Desh Natok, Palakar and BSA.

Participating troupes from overseas were: Chorus Repertory from Manipur and Vivadi Theatre from New Delhi, India; Moaser Theatre Group (Iran), LaMusica Independent Theatre Group (Egypt), Tehrik-E-Niswan (Pakistan) and Aarohan Theatre (Nepal).

Apart from plays and seminars, an art competition and exhibition on Bangladeshi theatre icon Selim Al Deen, titled "Images of Selim Al Deen's Life and Works" held at the National Art Gallery, BSA. An installation, titled "Ghosts of the Heartland" by noted American artist Sara Paula Hoffman was also part of the festival.

Shahabuddin's "Joi Bangla"
Renowned artist Shahabuddin's solo painting exhibition,"Joi Bangla", was held at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Dhanmondi from September 27 to October 11. All the paintings were oil on canvas.

Shahabuddin's figurative paintings approached semi-realism. Most of the themes of the exhibited artworks were intimately connected with each other, which is one of Shahabuddin's familiar traits.

Shahabuddin uses the horse motif in many of his works as a symbol of power and potency. Apart from the images of the Freedom Fighters and the Liberation War, the exhibition also featured some semi-abstract portraits--extensively of Bangabandhu, but also of Maulana Bhashani, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Rabindranath Tagore and some others. The symbolism of the War of Liberation blends into the creative homage, which he pays to Bangabandhu and his forceful depiction of the victorious Freedom Fighter.

A visibly moved Shabana Azmi said about the internationally acclaimed Bangladeshi artist's works, "Words cannot adequately express the overwhelming emotions surfacing when I saw his works." The actress was a special guest at the opening ceremony.

Chobi Mela V: Photography comes of age in Bangladesh
Asia's largest photography exhibition, "Chobi Mela V" includes 62 print exhibitions from 33 countries, held at 11 venues in the city from January 30 to February 20, featuring works of renowned artistes from all over the world.

The guest of honour at the inaugural event was Magsayasay Award winning writer and activist Mahasweta Devi. She was full of praise for the festival, which she described as a magnificent event. Mahasweta Devi inaugurated the exhibition titled " A Long Walk to Freedom" a photography exhibition on the life of Nelson Mandela at the National Museum. "Freedom" was the theme of the festival.

The year's Life Time Achievement Award was given to the doyen of Mozambique photography, Ricardo Rangel (b.1924). Another highlight of the evening was a live videoconference with American linguist, philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky. The key organisers of the event were Drik Picture Library Ltd and Pathshala, the South Asian Institute of Photography.

Artcell's 10th anniversary celebration
Artcell, one of the leading rock bands of the country, celebrated its 10th anniversary on October 23 with a grand concert titled "10 Years of Artcell In-sanity". The concert was held at Winter Garden, Dhaka Sheraton Hotel. It was a much-awaited event for young urban rock n' roll enthusiasts.

Apart from Artcell, the presence of one or more members from leading bands like Warfaze, Miles, Feedback and Aurthohin made the concert a grand affair.

Members of upcoming bands like Cryptic Fate, Reborn, Mechanix and Power Surge also made appearances at the concert. Apart from performing their compositions, most of the bands and artistes covered at least one Artcell number.

Photos By Mumit M. Compiled By Jamil Mahmud

Bangladesh through Naib Uddin's lens
A weeklong photography exhibition titled "Amar Bangla", featuring works of recently deceased photographer Naib Uddin Ahmed, was held from November 7-13 at the National Museum.

Naib Uddin Ahmed, one of the pioneering Bangladeshi photographers, made his breakthrough in the 50s and 60s. The exhibited photographs by Naib Uddin highlighted diverse beauty of Bangladesh.

The 50s and 60s were tumultuous times for us as a nation. Naib Uddin and his camera witnessed all the movements of Bangladesh. It is notable that the exhibition at the National Museum was last during his lifetime. At the inaugural ceremony the photographer said, "Art is the expression of emotions. This expression can be articulated through literature, painting, film or any other medium. I pre-selected some of the subjects of my photography -- children, shepherds, peasants, potters, women, riverine life, green horizons etc." He continued, "I love Bangladeshi villages and the villages love me back." Progga, the organiser of the event, published an album of selected photographs by Naib Uddin on the occasion.

Britto's one square mile in old Dhaka
Britto Arts Trust, Bangladesh and Visiting Arts (UK) jointly organised a two-month-long experimental workshop, titled "One Mile2" which began on October 1. The exhibition's prime focus was on Old Dhaka's, ecology, cultural and ethnic diversity. The participating artists worked on varied themes in different mediums such as video art, installation, sound, photography, documentary filmmaking and multimedia presentation.

A daylong exhibition featuring the outcome of the workshop was held on December 4 at 19 different venues within the selected one square mile of Old Dhaka.

A total of 38 Bangladeshi artists participated in the workshop. Among the participants were Kamruzzaman Shadhin, Anisuzzaman Sohel, Amirul Rajiv, Molla Sagor, Tarun Ghosh, Tayeba Begum Lipi, Rokeya Sultana, Mahbubur Rahman, Manir Mrittik, Sulekha chowdhury, Naima Haque, Hasanur Rahman Reaz, Ayan Majumder, Robi Khan, Ayesha Sultana, Owen Beuchet, Imran Hossain Piplu, Maynul Islam Paul and Nazmul Ahsan.

Theatre festivals on Selim Al Deen and Abdullah Al Mamun
To celebrate the 60th birth anniversary of "Natyacharya" Selim Al Deen, a five-day programme held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy premises from August 18. Al Deen's troupe Dhaka Theatre and BSA jointly organised the festival, which featured plays, films, music, recitation, dance, seminar and exhibition. The five-day programme features seven plays, five of them written by Al Deen, staged by different troupes.

An eight-day theatre festival celebrating the birth anniversary of the playwright, director-filmmaker and actor Abdullah Al Mamun was held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy from July 10. The festival featured staging of plays written by Mamun, film and documentary screenings as well as photography and book exhibitions. Theatre and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy jointly organised the festival.