Shilpakala Wall Paintings
Sanjib Chowdhury's portrait gone, Rokeya, Jashim Uddin and Jibanananda appear
Portraits of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, Jasim Uddin, and Jibanananda Das have now been added to the wall painting of Segunbagicha. Photo: Agamir Somoy.
New portraits of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, a pioneer of women's awakening, folk poet Jashim Uddin, and poet Jibanananda Das have been added to the wall beside the sidewalk opposite of Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha in the capital. At the same time, the portrait of musician and journalist Sanjib Chowdhury has been removed from the wall.
These portraits were painted yesterday, Tuesday, as part of the sidewalk beautification initiative undertaken by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
DSCC Chief Waste Management Officer Air Commodore Mahbubur Rahman Talukder told Agami'r Samoy on Wednesday, "Three new portraits have been painted here. We have finalized some more walls, and work on painting portraits there will also begin."
Regarding the removal of Sanjib Chowdhury's portrait, he said, "This change has been made with the aim of arranging them by generation, evaluating senior and older artists who have made long contributions in the cultural field. Sanjib Chowdhury will not be kept with those whose portraits are on this wall, but will be placed somewhere else. He has not been excluded."
Mahbubur Rahman Talukder said portraits of contemporary and other artists will be painted in phases at various important places in the capital, including Paltan and New Market vicinities. There are also plans to paint portraits in those areas once evening and holiday markets are launched after the registration of hawkers is completed.
Earlier, portraits of 10 distinguished figures who contributed to art, literature, and culture, including world poet Rabindranath Tagore, art maestro Zainul Abedin, director Satyajit Ray, and national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, had been painted on that wall. Although three new portraits have been added, the removal of Sanjib Chowdhury's portrait has brought a change to the list of people on the wall.
On October 5, DSCC Administrator Md. Abdus Salam inaugurated this beautification work. However, five days later, on October 10, police arrested four people, including a woman, in connection with smearing lime on Rabindranath Tagore's portrait.
Among the arrested, Rashtra Sanglap Forum President Al Nur Mohammad Aiyas and Marzia Khandaker Rimi were sent to jail today after remand in a criminal conspiracy case filed with Shahbagh Police Station. Earlier, Md. Sakibul Hasan and Md. Sujan Mia were sent to jail.
