Sabyasachi Hazra’s unique perspective on Bangla typography
Sabyasachi Hazra's solo exhibition "Brahmi to Bangla" is currently underway at the La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka. It features 38 artworks comprising prints, a video series, and a custom-made set of Bangla calligraphy tools.
The exhibition has been organised to celebrate the launch of his third publication, Awe (অ)-In the Quest of Bangla Typography. The central theme of the book is based on the discovery of the practical and aesthetic aspects of standard Bangla letters from a typographic perspective. The book has been jointly published by Kathaprokash and Nokta, and the exhibition has been supported by IPDC Finance Limited.
Sabyasachi's previous two publications emphasised on getting back to roots and being familiarised with culture. The first book, Chitralipi (Kathaprokash, 2015), was a pictorial Bangla alphabet book. "I believe that the first book for a child should be special and colourful, so it can allow their imagination to flow. This book was my attempt towards making children love our mother language", he explained. Rong Tulite Chopchap (Kathaprokash, 2018), his second book, introduced young readers to Bangla folk motifs, including tepa putul, mukhosh, and nakshi katha.
In talking about In the Quest of Bangla Typography, the author expressed his concerns over the loss of the aestheticism surrounding Bangla typography over time. "In the pursuit of modernisation, we are slowly forgetting the standard Bangla typeface and the very practice of calligraphy", he stated in an interview.
The book is divided into eight chapters, encompassing three themes. The first theme presents the standard form of the Bangla alphabet. The next segment guides readers towards practising Bangla calligraphy. The final segment includes Bangla typography letters by eminent personalities from a particular period of time. All in all, the book explores the aesthetics of Bangla fonts.
Through this exhibition, the artist mainly presented his experience of understanding the evolution of Bangla letters to visitors. He hopes young artists will carry forward this quest and fulfil the shortcomings of this publication in the future. His intention is also to initiate conversations revolving around the language and art of writing.
The exhibition has been organised at the junction of several important historical events. It celebrates the golden jubilee of Bangladesh, the 70th anniversary of the language movement, and the bicentennial of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar—the torch bearer of the modern Bangla language.
Over the years, Sabyasachi has recreated more than 170 handmade tools that have been used to write Bangla fonts in different phases of history. In order to make the exhibition more interactive, he has displayed 21 such tools. The artist also displayed a video explaining the contents of the book and the artworks on display.
An artwork of the exhibition, "Artistic Bengali Alphabet", features 52 Bangla vowels and consonants designed by illustrious personalities like Satyajit Ray, Quamrul Hassan, Panchanan Karmakar, Madan Mohan Tarkalanker, William Bolts, Pranesh Mondal, among others. The exhibition also featured reproductions of covers of important Bangla grammar and alphabet books, including Shishu Shikkha, Barna Parichay, and Aadi Balyashikkha.
Lastly, Hazra also displayed artworks depicting Nathaniel Brassey Halhed, Panchanan Karmakar, Charles Wilkins, William Carey, Madan Mohan Tarkalankar, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Kangal Harinath Majumdar, Hara Prasad Shastri, Satyajit Ray, and Fiona Ross. "These eminent personalities have contributed heavily to the development of Bangla grammar, fonts, and typography. While I could not include them within the book, they surely deserve a special spot in this exhibition", he concluded.
The exhibition ends today (June 25) at 9 pm BST.
Maisha Islam Monamee is a student of IBA, DU, and a freelance journalist who likes reading, scribbling, and blogging. Follow her, @monameereads, on Instagram.