Remembering two pioneering photographers
Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts organised a memorial meeting on two pioneering Bangladeshi photographers Naibuddin Ahmed and Nowazesh Ahmed at Bengal Café in Dhanmondi, Dhaka on December 4.
Noted painter Mustafa Monwar; chairman of University Grants Commission Professor Nazrul Islam; noted media personality Aly Zaker; publisher and trustee of Liberation War Museum, Mofidul Haque and Professor Nur Mohammad Talukdar attended the event and spoke on the occasion. The discussants highlighted the works and lives of the photographers.
Naibuddin and Nowazesh Ahmed -- brothers -- started photography in the 1940s.
Speakers at the meeting were of the view that both Naibuddin and Nowazesh made immense contribution to contemporary photography in Bangladesh. They believed in humanitarianism and were secular by nature. Their photographs reflect the familiar and not-so-familiar images of Bangladesh, which have become forever imprinted on the souls of people.
Nowazesh was an avid nature lover. He was involved with varied cultural activities. His passion for photography started when he was just a school student.
Aly Zaker said, “Their works mirrored optimism. Nowazesh taught me a lot about wild flowers and their classifications. We often went to villages in search of wild flowers.”
Mustafa Monwar said, “From 1960 to '64, Naibuddin took many photos of Brahmaputra river and its surroundings. During that time, he worked in Mymensingh. Then he concentrated on his own village Paril, and its tranquil beauty.”
Naibuddin and Nowazesh were born at Paril, under Manikganj district. The brothers were mostly known for their landscapes. They focused on typical rural elements like boats, riverbanks, mustard and rice fields, herds of cows, fishermen, potters, women and green horizons.
After the discussion, two documentaries -- “Ekti Nokkhotro Jagey” and Nowazesh Ahmed's “Rabindranath-er- Chhinnopotro” -- were screened. “Ekti Nokkhotro Jagey” has been directed by Progga.
Comments