Page 369 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

366 ART AND CRAFTS

struggles. Hamid’s friend the sculptor
Novera Ahmed also worked with him on the
Shaheed Minar. Many evidenced this at the
time. In course of discussion with this writer
artist Aminul Islam informed him that
Novera’s contribution in the planning of the
Shaheed Minar was no less important.
However, from the writings of Hamid it is
known that Novera constructed three
sculptures for the Shaheed Minar. Hamid
received only a meager amount of his due
remuneration for the Shaheed Minar. The
work of the Shaheed Minar suddenly
stopped with the promulgation of martial
law by Ayub Khan in 1956. Hamid-Novera
did not even get the time to remove the construction materials which they kept in a
temporary shelter where they also stayed during construction of the Shaheed Minar, as
nobody dared to go there evading the army vigil. In 1963-64, efforts were once again
made to fulfill the original design of the Shaheed Minar. However, because of
bureaucratic complexities and the ill motivation of the government, that effort also
died down. In 1971, the Shaheed Minar was razed to the ground by cannon balls the
Pakistan. occupation forces. After Independence, in 1972 the reconstruction of the
Shaheed Minar was started anew to observe the first 21st February on liberated soil.
But that work too did not proceed very far. Meanwhile, a mishap occurred. The mural
that had remained intact even during the War of Liberation was whitewashed, nobody
knew on whose orders. It is as though art was raped and murdered. Later on, five
columns were constructed at the Shaheed Minar. The highest one is bent, symbolizing
fig. 9.4 (top) Hamidur Mother Bengal, on either side are her four immortal children. This is what the Shaheed
Rahman painting the Minar expresses. Though the master plan Hameed-Novera visualized to immortalize
mural at the Shaheed the language martyrs’ sacrifice was not limited to representing the mother language
Minar, 1958 through architectural art but included sound and light, sheets of glass, rays of sunlight
through the sheets of glass fountains etc. It is yet to be realized.
fig. 9.5 (bottom) Mural
at the Dhaka University Hamidur Rahman’s competence is most apparent in murals, frescos, or wall paintings.
Central Library, fresco Murals are usually created on public buildings or installations. Hamidur Rahman
bueno, 1957 executed two frescoes of two different types on the walls of the Dhaka University