40 years of madness - Celebrating Unmad
A fascinating part of the magazine Unmad is how the Bangla wit is represented through cartoons, sketches, images and not to mention the hilarious write ups and crazy poetry. Decades of the evolving humour, writers and cartoonists of all ages who have been involved with Unmad for years, along with cartoons and ideas, will be framed and waiting for enthusiasts and fans at the Drik gallery in Dhanmondi, from July 5-9.
Celebrating 40 years of madness, the editor of this legendary humorous magazine, Ahsan Habib, talks about subscriptions, the state of current cartoonists in Bangladesh and how cartoons today should also disseminate wisdom to a certain level.
One of the major achievements is the growing number of professional cartoonists who found Unmad to be a fantastic platform to portray their work. The magazine was mainly started by Kazi Khaled Ashraf and Ishtiaq Hossain.“When we started 40 years ago, there were only a few cartoonists who worked professionally,” says Ahsan Habib. “Myself, KaziKhaled Ashraf, Sultanur Islam, NawshadNabi and Ishtiaq Hossain. But today, we have at least 50 cartoonists belonging to the Bangladesh Cartoonist Association, of who around 25 are professional cartoonists. All of them are a part of this venture.”
When the magazine started in the year 1978, it quickly became a regular part of the household. It has always been popular especially amongst the youngsters. Even today, it's the dream of every young cartoonist to be a part of this magazine and establish themselves. “40 years ago we had started with 3000 subscribers only,” says Habib. “It quickly increased to 30,000 – the highest number till now. I cannot tell you the current number,” he laughs. “You see, I grew up with the saying – “You do not ask a woman her age, a man his salary and a publication about its subscription details!”
If photographs speak a thousand words, cartoons probably speak more, especially because of the raw emotion that is directly transferred from the artist to paper. “To be a good cartoonist, not only do you have to observe, sketch and be witty,” says Ahsan Habib. “One also has to be able to identify and showcase the information and the wisdom of the situation. The circumstances that we face today requires more of such sharing.”
The five-day festivities will include displays, workshops, music, live caricatures and much more. To know more,check out unmadmaagzine.com and visit the gallery today!
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