KARACHI: An exhibition capturing the political, social, financial and aesthetic essence of Bangladesh was organised by the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, Karachi, at a local hotel on Monday. From paintings, banknotes, coins, stamps and even books, the items displayed were carefully curated to allow viewers to experience first-hand the journey of the country from inception.

Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi Noor-e-Helal Saifur Rahman shared that the inspiration came when he attended an exhibition by the Pakistan Philatelic and Numismatic Society in June where there was an auction of stamps and many other souvenirs. “I was very much inspired by that show and so decided to have a similar exhibition. Initially I thought I will put up an exhibition on Bangladesh banknotes, coins and postal stamps. However, I arranged some books on the father of the nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and some paintings.”

Twenty paintings by 10 Bangladeshi artists are on display; the paintings were especially commissioned for the exhibition. “Most of these paintings describe the natural beauty of Bangladesh. I want visitors to understand, realise and appreciate the art of Bangladesh, the development of the currency, as well as the beauty of the country.”

The exhibition is clearly divided into different sections; the one on books is an interesting display on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his political trajectory, his struggles and his murder and the legal repercussions the country faced. There were coffee-table books charting the beauty of the country, researches on the economic growth of the country, as well as tomes on Bengali mystical poetry.

The more popular sections of the exhibition were the postcards, coins and banknotes. Postcards on major sporting events held around the world were included as were those on different flowers and prominent political personalities originating from Bangladesh.

The section comprising banknotes was also well-appreciated; Bangladesh Bank over the years has been changing the design of the banknotes in different denominations. Taka one first issued in 1973 had a typical Bengali woman pounding rice on one side of the note. Commemorative notes of 100 years of Bangladesh National Museum 1913-2013 were also displayed.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2018