The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) of the High Commission of India in Dhaka inaugurated the art exhibition ‘Sampriti’ at IGCC in Gulshan on Thursday evening, celebrating cultural harmony and artistic collaboration between Bangladesh and India.
The exhibition has been organised as a continuation of the ‘Sampriti’ Art Camp held on April 10 to 11, marking the 77th Foundation Day of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), established on April 9, 1950.
For more than seven decades, ICCR has promoted cultural exchanges through initiatives in art, education, music, literature and academic collaboration, fostering mutual understanding among nations.
The inauguration also coincided with the 165th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
The programme began with a ceremonial lamp-lighting in tribute to Tagore by Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma, eminent artists Prof Rafiqun Nabi and Monirul Islam, alongside Prof Farida Zaman and Prof Abdus Sattar.
Speaking on the occasion, High Commissioner Pranay Verma said the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, through its diverse initiatives, continues to advance the mission and vision of ICCR in strengthening cultural ties and mutual understanding between India and the wider world.
He said the bonds between Bangladesh and India extend far beyond geographical proximity and are deeply rooted in shared history, language and a longstanding affinity for art and culture.
Referring to the Sampriti initiative, he noted that the two-day art camp brought together 33 distinguished Bangladeshi artists and ICCR scholars, while the exhibition presents the artworks created during the camp.
The exhibition features artworks by Rafiqun Nabi, Monirul Islam, Abdus Shakoor, Abdus Sattar, Abul Barq Alvi, Alak Roy, Farida Zaman, Naima Haque, the late Tarun Ghosh, Mohammad Eunus, Jamal Ahmed, Ranjit Das, Mostafizul Haque, Rokeya Sultana, Dilara Begum Jolly, Nisar Hossain, Mohammad Iqbal, A A M Kaoser Hassan Togor, Aloptogin Tushar, Tayeba Begum Lipi, Mahbubur Rahman, Gopal Chandra Trivedi, Azharul Islam Sheikh, Sushanta Kumar Adhikary, Anisuzzaman, Dulal Chandrow Gain, Mukul Kumar Barai, Nihar Singha, Monjur Ahmed, Bishwajit Goswami, Sanjoy Chakraborty, Sumon Wahed and Hasura Akther Rumky.
Curated by Dr Sanjoy Chakraborty, faculty member of Dhaka University, the exhibition reflects themes of friendship, cultural dialogue and mutual understanding between Bangladesh and India.
The High Commissioner also paid tribute to eminent artist and ICCR scholar Tarun Ghosh, who passed away a day before the commencement of the art camp. He expressed condolences to the artist’s family, friends and admirers, adding that one of Tarun Ghosh’s artworks has been featured in the exhibition as a tribute to his legacy.
Pranay Verma further expressed hope that the exhibition would invigorate cultural dialogue and deepen the enduring ties between Bangladesh and India through the works of 33 contemporary Bangladeshi artists.
Senior artists Prof Rafiqun Nabi and Monirul Islam expressed hope that ‘Sampriti’ would inspire more artistic exchanges between Bangladesh and India and further deepen cultural ties between the two countries.
The evening also featured Rabindra Sangeet performances by Prof Shahnaz Nasrin Ila of the Music Department at Dhaka University.
‘Sampriti’ will remain open to visitors from May 8 to May 17 at IGCC in Gulshan.
