Published on 12:00 AM, October 12, 2007

Creators of marvels!

Most people, living in Dhaka, have seen the statues of heron standing in front of the Biman office in Motijeel. Many people making bus journeys have also witnessed the 'sea-shell shower' beside the VIP Road and the 'car of chain and steel' in front of Southern CNG refueling station beside Tejgaon Industrial Road.
These things are very charming and can attract people of all ages. Children, often, stare at the 'car of chain and steel' and sometimes insist their parents and guardians to look at it when their car stands on the queue to refuel from that CNG station. But readers, I have one important question for you. Who created all these? Are you interested to know who created these establishments? If yes, then how would you know?
Luckily, I came to know about one of the eminent artists directly from my student. When I first went to my student's home, I was welcomed by a man who is my student's father. In the first class of my student, I asked him about his father's profession. I got an answer from him that flabbergasted me. “My father is an artist and he designed many foundations (all the three things mentioned earlier),” he said. Then, I enquired about his father's name. He replied, “Mrinal Haque.” I was completely stunned because I had never heard about the brilliant artist who has accomplished so much artistic works around this metropolitan city. Now he is working on two new projects. One in front of Hotel Sheraton and another in front of the airport.
I bet most people in Dhaka city are unaware of the fact that Mrinal Haque is the creator of so many marvels around the city. This country has numerous radio stations, newspapers and television channels. So, why are artists, like Mrinal Haque, hiding from us? Do the news reporters and organisers think that such wonderful creations deserve no coverage? Or more specifically, aren't these fabulous productions part of news?
Like him, many artists have raised various beautiful structures throughout the city, but how many artists do you know?