Cultural Correspondent
Amidst a violent political situation, the National Museum is holding a handicrafts fare at its Nalini Kanta Bhattasali Gallery showcasing our national heritage.
Thirty nine artisans, who participated at the Setouchi International Art Festival in Japan last July, are displaying their craft works at the weeklong craft fair organised by the department of ethnography and decorative art of the museum.
Eevery day, a good number of visitors are attending the fair which began on December 01. It will be open for everybody from 12pm to 7pm till December 07.
The fair offers a whole range of crafts made from various raw materials like brass, jute, bamboo, cane, cotton, metal, wood and other economical and easily obtainable materials.
Moreover, stalls displaying nakshi kantha, jamdani, rickshaw and truck paintings, clay artworks, traditional music instruments such as dhol and delicious pithas remind the urban audience of their rich heritage.
Crafts made by ethnic minority groups make the show a display of diverse cultural heritages of the country.
Stitch artisan Kohinur Akter displays her skill of creating spectacular traditional embroidered quilt known as nakshi kantha. A bamboo flute maker from Jhinaidah, Kamol Chandra Sarkar, demonstrates the process of making a flute from bamboo in his stall.
The interested visitors can also get the experience of making the rhythm instrument dhol (drum) at Sib Nath Sibu’s stall at the exhibition.
But the most exciting display at the fair is the traditional banner painter Sitesh Sur’s stall, which showcases colourful banners of Dhallywood films along with portraits of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, freedom fighters and beautiful women.
Traditional rickshaw painter Rafiqul Islam, who is displaying his artworks at the fair, laments as his manual technique of making paintings used on the rear of rickshaws has also been replaced by the digital techniques.
Kanika Chakma and Ritan Chakma from Khagrachari display spectacular handloom fabrics used by the people of the ethnic community.
Source: Weekly Holiday
