Page 364 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

9

SECOND GENERATION ARTISTS

a. Hamidur Rahman
Moinuddin Khaled

Bangladesh was under colonial rule in different phases of history and therefore is a
country of mixed-culture. Thoughts and perceptions of the country’s prehistoric
peoples integrated with different cultures of the Buddhist, Hindu, Mughal and British
periods to create this sphere of mixed culture. The center of this cultural hybridization
is the city of Dhaka. The history of its long past bears the testimony of the cohabitation
of people of different religions, faiths and cultures. Dhaka was buzzing with various
cultural activities since the beginning of the twentieth century. Individual and
institutional patronization plays a special role in the pursuit of culture and progressive
thinkers broaden the path for cultural pursuits. Mirza Fakir Mohammad and Mirza
Abdul Quader Sardar belonged to the aristocracy of Dhaka. The two brothers reared a
special love for art and literature. Being dwellers of old Dhaka, the Mughal elitist
ambience on the one hand and the traditional Bengali lifestyle on the other, created the
cultural atmosphere of the Mirza family. One of the pioneers in the new trend of art
that emerged in this country following the partition of the sub-continent in 1947 was
the artist Hamidur Rahman of the Mirza family.
How a person turns into an artist cannot be determined by mathematical calculations.
However, the potential of becoming an artist can be identified by the country, time, fig. 9.1
society, family and genetic inheritance of a person. Hamidur Rahman was born on 1st Hamidur Rahman
September 1928 in an aristocratic family of Ashek Lane, Dhaka, famed as the mystery
land of the East situated on the bank of the river Buriganga. He was the sixth among
the nine children of his father Mirza Fakir Mohammad and mother Jamila Khatun. He
was named Bashir Ahmed after birth and later it was changed to Hamid Ahmed.
Finally, the artist called himself Hamidur Rahman according to his own wishes.
The cultural atmosphere of the family was created with multifaceted cultural activities,
music and poetry was added with the film culture. Rahman’s uncle, the famous Quader
Sardar established the Lion Cinema Hall. A respectable Muslim family playing a role
in the development of cinema was undoubtedly an amazing instance of progressiveness
in those days. Hamid’s elder brother Nasir Ahmed used to recite poetry wonderfully;
second brother Nazir Ahmed earned reputation as a radio broadcaster. He used to