Creative people and their art work
Dr Zinat Mahrukh Banu
To reveal social and economic scenario of the eternal Bangladesh it is necessary to look at the villagers with diverse occupation. In the midst of industrialization our folk art survives only because of some people who have inherited this art work from their fore parents and are still practicing. However, to keep up the spread and practice of this age-old traditional work the artists need society's active support and patronization.
The natural environment, rich cultural heritage and religion have much influence on our folk art. Today the folk art is at risk with the disappearance of much of our natural resources like flowers, birds, fish, butterflies, plants, and their habitats like forests, wetlands and various other marshes. The artists get inspired from the flowers, birds, rivers, trees, and fish in their natural set up. The weavers used to make their weaving tools from bamboo, rattan and other plant material to weave the famous muslin. The threads were brushed with the bones or fin-rays of fishes like freshwater shark (Gajar fish).
Once Lakshmisara was an important part of Nobanno festival. Today how many of us think that it was a part and parcel of our Nabanno. However, a few artists are still surviving with this vanishing craft. They are not only the creators of our folk art but are the ambassadors of our rich cultural heritage. Let me take the opportunity to introduce a few of them.
Amulya Chandra Pal, potter
Born around 1937 in a Pal (potters) family, Amulya Chandra Pal lives in Kagajipara of Dhamrai, northwest of Dhaka. Although born in a Pal family, Amulya had little interest in pottery. After marriage, his in-law's family made him interested in clay art. Today Amulya is a master of this art, a leader in the potter's guild. He has been known as the innovator of this art.
As a beginner he used to make utilitarian ware like patil, kalshi, etc, which are the essential commodities for cooking and carrying water in rural Bangladesh. These are the yields of our traditional art called mritshilpa.
Amulya is specialized in figurative objects, like toys, statues of animals; flower pots; terracotta; sculptures etc. Amulya sculpted the National memorial. He takes great interests in making sculptures of Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. Whenever he finds some leisure time Amulya writes poems.
Abdul Hamid Mollah, karushilpi
An inhabitant of Gilo village of Manikganj district, Abdul Hamid Mollah is now 65. He used to make bamboo fences for others after he completed his primary education. Besides being an Imam of a local mosque, he started making bamboo products like dorma, bhaujhap and velki. The urge for making bamboo materials started in 1980 when he saw a bamboo shelf while crossing a river. He fixed the shelf and realized that it is possible to make other materials with bamboo rather than only bamboo fences. Today he makes all sorts of materials using bamboo such as wall hangings, bookshelves, cupboards, etc.
Ahmad Ali, sculptor
Ahmad Ali, now 40, is an inhabitant of Kaetpara of Dhamrai, is a master of brass cast statues. He not only makes animals like birds, peafowl, predators like tigers and lions, but also gives shapes to the deities.
Santosh Chandra Pal and Govinda Chandra Pal, potters
The pal brothers are from the same village of Amulya Chandra pal. They are specialized in wall plates and terracotta. They make tiles for the roof top. They make beautiful dieties for the devotees. They give shape to the clay and paint the colour necessary for the dieties. Their clay panels depict eternal Bangladesh. They put rivers at the bottom of the panel; and there should be boats in the rivers. On land there are villages with rural roads, trees, birds, cattle, poultry, fishermen; mothers are at work at home, bauls with instruments, snake charmers, potters at work and so on.
Tapati Rani Dey, rickshaw painter
Tapati, wife of Ranjit Kumar Dey, is from Bangsal Road, Dhaka. She creates art work for Dhaka's cycle rickshaws. These are the moving pictures of Dhaka. Tapati's work is entirely freehand; she draws the sketches with a pencil and then moves her brush on it smoothly. She has her own style: usually paints birds, animals or movie stars. She always maintains an asymmetry in her art work.
Sankar Dhar, sculptor, wood carver
Born in 1957, Sankar, a carpenter turned sculptor. Sankar is a special type of artist. He is equally easy with wood work, and clay and brass work. His created deities are very typical of him. He makes the sculptures of famous people like Galileo, Einstein, Newton, Jagodish Chandra Basu, etc. He made the model of Bangabandhu bridge.
Sirajul Islam, engraver
Born in Muradnagar of Comilla in 1947, Sirajul left for Chittagong at the age of 10 where he learned this decorative work at the age of 15. In 1973 he moved to Mohakhali of Dhaka. He is a master of traditional metal vessels and is the greatest engraver in modern Bangladesh. He makes brass and copper vessels, which are usually ornamented. With his kalam or chisel he engraves the main forms. Sirajul Islam has a group of classified buyers who wants to keep his work as a symbol of wealth.
Haripada Pal, potter and sculptor
Born in 1947 in Simulia of Savar, Dhaka, Haripada is one of the most talented potters and sculptors in the country. He uses clay for deities and cements for sculptures. Haripada has a unique ability to understand what his patrons want and the patrons are always happy with the creation of Haripada. Haripada makes the deities like Durga, Kali, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Bishwakarma, Bashanti and Mahadev. His media is usually clay. Once he made a statue of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Haripada is a devoted creator, who believes in concentration. His art work is the product of his strong belief in his own creator and his devotion.
Enamul Haque, Jamdani weaver
Enamul, now 36, learned the weaving at the age of 10. Today he is the proprietor of 5 Jamdani looms. Enamul usually weaves quality Jamdani saris. He is a keen designer who knows about 200 designs. He, however, weaves saris of new designs according to the desire of the customers. Although the consumers of Jamdani sari are not poor, the weavers do not get prices because of the middlemen.
Aleya Khanam, an artist of embroidered quilt
Born in Kushtia, Aleya depicts what she watches around her on nakshi kantha. Once the old and used clothes were recycled as embroidered quilts, now new clothes are also used in stitching kanthas. Kantha motifs are also used in pillow covers, bedspreads, wall hangings, and so on. This art changed the life style of Aleya who has now become a spirited person with whom about 150 women work.
Maran Chand Pal, Potter
Born in Rayerbazar, Dhaka, in 1946, Maran Chand Pal is regarded as the King of clay. He is the maker of both material and spiritual art work. His work is very much indigenous, I mean native. He has a vision which is his own. His cycle rider, cycle chalak, identifies him as a balanced person who is full of perfection. Maran Chand Pal has formal education from different art institutes. He taught pottery art in the Art Institute, for 27 years. Mother and child doll is a unique work of Maran Chand Pal which brought him fame.
Dr Banu is Head of the Department of Ethnography and Decorative Art, Bangladesh National Museum. |
