The Knowledge Machine

In one corner of Bangladesh National Museum, Rafiqul Islam is painstakingly assembling small metal blocks on a specialised frame.

He picks up the metal blocks from strange-looking wooden cases, containing hundreds of cubicles, placed around him. To be exact, there are 456 cubicles altogether.  

The individual metal blocks Rafiqul is setting are carved letters of Bangla type and the wooden cases are called type cases.

Letter after letter he is forming lines of text. And line by line he is creating a template of a page to be used for printing a poem.

Rafiqul, a former compositor, is displaying the intricate craft of composition for letterpress printing at an exhibition being held at the museum titled “Okkhorjojonar Maddhomey Banglar Prachin Mudron Koushol” (primitive techniques of Bangla printing through typesetting).

The month-long exhibition was inaugurated yesterday to highlight the historic significance of letterpress machines.

The particular type of printing press, set up for Rafiqul's display of printing techniques, is known as a treadle printing machine. An operator is standing by to run the machine once the composition is complete.     

Remembering where to find each specific letter -- out of over 500 letters including the conjoined ones -- in the maze of cubicles is a task that requires sharp memory and long experience. In contrast, only 26 letters are required for printing in English.

“I used to be quick in finding each letter in its particular cubicle. But now, it takes me a few seconds longer, because I left the profession a couple of decades back,” Rafiqul told this correspondent.

The centuries-old primitive letterpress, which played a significant role in shaping the printing history in Bangla, is about to become obsolete in the country, thanks to the rapid transformation in digital printing technology. 

The museum authorities said a letterpress machine would be placed on display at the museum permanently after the exhibition is over.

The ongoing exhibition is part of a recent effort under which a museum was built at Kushtia's Kumarkhali in memory of publishing pioneer journalist Kangal Harinath, who founded his publishing house in 1863, they also said.

The history of printing in Bangla dates back to 1778, according to a brochure provided by the museum.

Besides the treadle machine, the exhibition is showcasing, among many items, relics of printed materials, metal frames and Bangla type made of various metals such as lead, zinc and brass.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the exhibition, Faizul Latif Chowdhury, director general of the national museum, said the exhibition is an effort to conceive the contemporary civilisation and reorientation of centuries-old printing techniques.

They located an operational letterpress in Bhurungamari of Kurigram, he also said.

Senior Secretary of Finance Ministry Hedayet Ullah Al Mamun said letterpress has historic and revolutionary significance.

The invention of letterpress helped disseminate knowledge among those who were historically denied of education by the then rulers, he added.

Journalist and writer Abul Momen said flourishing of printing press helped transform people's thoughts into knowledge and it created culture consciousness among the common people. Columnist Muhammad Jahangir, writer Ali Imam and national museum trustee board president artist Hashem Khan also spoke at the ceremony.

The exhibition will remain open during museum hours every day.