Page 146 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

SCULPTURE 143

marble dust was used in constructing it. 111
The largest work of Shamim Sikder
Sadhinata Sangram (Independence
Movement) is on the island of the road in
front of Udayan School in the Dhaka
University Campus and its construction
was completed in 1998. The sculpture
which is 60ft high and 85.75ft. in
perimeter depicts the great Language
Movement, self-determination movement
of the 60s, mass movement of 1969 and
the War of Liberation. The other
sculptures based on the War of Liberation
by Shamim Shikdar include Birshrestho
(Foremost among the braves) at the Anwar
Pasha Bhaban of Dhaka University, War
and Peace and La-Guernica at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nitun Kundu built the sculpture Sabash
Bangladesh (Bravo Bangladesh) at the
University of Rajshahi (pl. 2.36). Both sculpture and architecture were combined in this fig. 2.51
multidimensional artwork built on a 40sq.ft. area. A figure of a freedom fighter is Hamiduzzaman Khan,
standing with arms raised. It represents the rural youth with bare torso, bare feet, wearing Samsaptak,
lungi, rifle in the raised fist of his left hand and gamchha (napkin made of handloom) Jahangirnagar
tied round the head. Another figure is slightly bent and stands at a height of 12.5 ft., University, Savar, 1988
wearing trousers, he is the symbol of an urban youth with rifle held in the right hand and
gamchha tied at the waist. Concrete was used in constructing Sabash Bangladesh.
Senior artist Murtaja Baseer who is in fact a painter, erected Shadhinata Juddher
Smarak Bashkarja (Independence War Memorial Sculpture) at the University of
Chittagong. At the base of the sculpture is a water-lily on which is a round platform
and on it is a book cover without any pages where the flag of Bangladesh is visible.
The chronological evolution of the Bengali alphabet from the ancient to modern
period is presented there in the metaphorical form of paper.
Besides these, sculptures were built at a number of places in Bangladesh. Among
these, Chiro Durjoy (Ever Invincible) built at Rajarbagh in Dhaka is noteworthy.
Members of the police force were among the first to offer resistance in the War of
Liberation. Seven hundred and fifty one members of this force were martyred during
the Liberation War. In their memory, Mrinal Haque has built Chiro Durjoy sculpture
at the Rajarbagh Police Line. The sculpture made of white cement portrays 5 police
constables poised for resistance. Behind the main sculpture, there is a 72ft. wide mural
in mosaic tiles which presents the attack by the Pakistani force on the Rajarbagh
Police Line, their atrocities, resistance by the freedom fighters and most of all various