State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid has said that the method of painting and carving of manuscripts on palm leaves will be included as a cultural heritage of UNESCO:
The National Museum will send a proposal in this regard soon. Drawing and writing pictures on palm leaves and carving them is a unique artistic craft and it is the first in Bangladesh, he said.
Renowned Bangladeshi artist Afroza Jamil Kanka has decorated and designed the manuscript on the palm leaf based on the long poem ‘Bangalir Parichay Kabya’ by French-expatriate poet and playwright Chayan Khairul Habib, symbolically capturing different chapters of Bangabandhu’s revolutionary life and the historical phases of the Bengali nation.
The carving was done by Prashant Maharana, a craftsman from the Indian state of Odisha. “I sincerely thank and congratulate the Martyred Colonel Jamil Foundation for taking this great initiative,” said KM Khalid.
The state minister said this while inaugurating an exhibition based on the art paintings of artist Afroza Jamil Kanka and poet Chayan Khairul Habib organized by Colonel Jamil Foundation at Nalinikanta Bhattashali Exhibition Gallery of the National Museum in the capital on Friday afternoon.
Speaking as the chief guest, KM Khalid said that palm leaf wings are the original and true friends of man. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman also used palm leaf fans in his prison life.
The state minister said that if the poem ‘Banglar Parichay’ written by Chayan Khairul Habib is recorded in the tune and rhythm of traditional manuscripts, it will be more acceptable and consistent to the general public.
Director General of National Museum Md. Kamruzzaman, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof. Muhammad Samad, renowned artist Professor Hashem Khan, Dean of Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University Prof. Nisar Hossain, among others, addressed the function.
French-based poet and playwright Chayan Khairul Habib delivered the welcome speech, while Artist Afroza Jamil Kanka also spoke on the occasion.
