In his mixed media work on Iraq and the Language Movement, Babul says, "An artist in Bangladesh, like myself, cannot take up arms against any powerful country waging a war. I can, however, show my protest. Similarly, I've idealised the martyred hundreds in 1952. In the watercolours, I've delineated my recent adventures and experiences at St Martin's Island, in the south of Bangladesh. This includes underwater diving during the full moon."

Babul has continued with his theme of nostalgia for his childhood days in his acrylics as he feels that childhood in his time, 30 years ago, was quite different from that of the present day Dhaka child -- cooped up in the urban existence of claustrophobic flats. "Even the parks and playgrounds of the schools, where children play, are limited in number and space or are non-existent. We've enjoyed large expanses of the countryside during my holidays. Today children do have vacations, but often that time off from school is crammed into TV viewing or book reading," he says. That is why he has repeated the images of the whirling tops and the flying, gliding kites, and the spools of threads. In search of a dramatic impact, he has gone in for contrasting loud colours.

Babul makes sketches of his works, and plans them out as he goes about his routine daytime profession. As the sun sets he begins painting. This is not just for the extra buck. He invests the earning from his exhibitions to buy more art equipment. "Urban existence in Dhaka is such that it is difficult to survive without an added income," Babul comments.

In the mixed media work are metal nails, wire netting, small cloth- and -wool dolls, and tiny wooden houses. These lend a new angle to Babul's works since his last flamboyant one at the Indian Cultural Centre. The swimming fish, coral, sand and sea representations in his St. Martin's Island portrayal capture the snoozing underwater world -- which local artists and photographers have diligently and cleverly covered over the last five years.

Babul did his Bachelors in Fine Arts from the Institute of Fine Arts, before proceeding to the Banaras University, through an Indian cultural exchange scholarship. Here he had some of the crème de la crème Indian art teachers. He began exhibiting his works in Banaras, as a student. He has, so far, taken part in more than 25 exhibitions at home and abroad -- including the displays at Kolkata, at the national competitions of the Shilpakala Academy, and those organised by the Institute of Fine Arts, DU (1985-1995).