NIAZ CHOWDHURY TULI

Cover artist Niaz Chowdhury Tuli has been designing books for the Ekushey Grantha Mela since the last 19 years. “I have worked for each Boi Mela since 2000 with utmost sincerity. Passion makes one do so,” says the artist.

Niaz Chowdhury Tuli, a senior cartoonist at Prothom Alo, designs around 200 books every year. His works for the Ekushey Grantha Mela 2019 include,  Dushtu Meyer Dol by Anisul Hoque, Nitu Bolchi by Touhidur Rahman, Babuder Bajimaat by Palash Mahbub, Projapotir Danaye Bhor by Ferdousi Parveen, and Darjeeling Er Doberman, among many.

The medium of his work is mostly digital. Tuli believes this form of medium saves a lot of time, maintaining the quality of the work.

He has designed books for a wide range of genres, such as detective novels, poetry and children's books. However, the artist is careful while designing book covers for children's literature. “Children are very attracted to colourful work. You can say that they do judge a book by its cover!,” jests Tuli.

The script is very important to the artist. “No matter how busy I am, I manage time to read the scripts of the books that I am working on. If I cannot manage to read a novel, I make sure that I read a summary of it.”

The artist has been toiling for the book for the last six months. Now that the fair has begun, he has a lot to be hopeful for, most of which revolves around cover artists getting their due respect. “Because the artists put a lot of effort, along with the writers and publishers,” he says, “I believe more young writers and artists should be promoted in the Ekushey Grantha Mela 2019, since it is an essential platform for them.”