Desh Aaj Bishwabehayar Khappare
| Desh Aaj Bishwabehayar Khappare | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Quamrul Hassan |
| Year | 1988 |
| Type | Sketch |
| Subject | Hussain Muhammad Ershad |
Desh Aaj Bishwabehayar Khappare is a political sketch by Quamrul Hassan. Created in 1988 on the eve of the 1990 Bangladesh mass uprising, the drawing sketches Bangladesh's then-president Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
Creation
In the 1980s, Bangladesh's poets became divided over rule of president Hussain Muhammad Ershad. In 1987, Kabita Kendra, formed by Ershad's supporters, organized the Asian Poetry Festival, while his opponents formed the Jatiya Kabita Parishad, which organized the National Poetry Festival at the time.[1] On 2 February 1988, during the Second National Poetry Festival held at the University of Dhaka, poet Rabindra Gope handed a sketchbook to presiding Quamrul Hassan, requesting him to draw something. In that sketchbook, Hassan drew a sketch of Ershad.[2] After finishing the drawing, Hassan stood on the stage and told the audience through the microphone, "দেশ আজ বিশ্ববেহায়ার খপ্পরে" (Desh Aaj Bishwabehayar Khappare, lit. 'Today the Country in the Clutches of the Shameless of the World').[3] Shortly after that, suddenly he suffered a heart attack and died. The artwork remained with Gope and was later printed at a press in Dhaka.[2] Afterwards, under the leadership of poet Mohan Raihan, copies of the artwork were distributed across the country.[1]
Reception and legacy
The sketch, opposing Ershad's dictatorship, became hugely popular after its release, comparable to Hassan's 1971 poster Annihilate These Demons.[4] After the drawing, president Ershad became known as the "Bishwabehaya" (lit. 'the greatest shameless').[5] It helped increase the momentum of the 1990 Bangladesh mass uprising.[6] According to poet Hasan Hafiz, creating the sketch at that time was an audacious act.[1] Journalist Golam Mortoza noted that, since Ershad had become "a leading character in humorous tales", the artwork accurately portrayed his character.[7] According to writer Syed Azizul Haque, this is "remarkable as a sign of the painter's political awareness and patriotism."[8] In 2025, the artwork was included in the sixth-grade Bangladeshi textbook Charupath (lit. 'art lesson'), in the chapter "Language of Cartoons, Caricatures, and Posters".[9]
References
- ^ a b c Mahmud, Sumon (14 July 2019). "এরশাদ শাসনের ভিত কাঁপিয়ে দেওয়া সেই চিত্রকর্ম" [The artwork that shook the foundations of Ershad’s rule]. Bdnews24.com (in Bengali).
- ^ a b Molla, Mohammad Al-Masum (15 July 2019). "স্বৈরাচারবিরোধী আন্দোলনের সেই স্কেচ" [The sketch of the anti-autocracy movement]. The Daily Star (in Bengali).
- ^ Ahmad, Fayez (6 July 2024). "'দেশ আজ বিশ্ববেহায়ার খপ্পরে'" ['The country is now in the grip of global shamelessness']. Desh Rupantor (in Bengali).
- ^ "গণ-অভ্যুত্থানের চিত্র শিল্প" [The artwork of the mass uprising]. Bonik Barta (in Bengali). 7 August 2024.
- ^ Khoshbu, Mohammad (1991). বাংলাদেশের ছাত্র আন্দোলনের ইতিহাস: এরশাদের সময়কাল [History of the Student Movement in Bangladesh: The Era of Ershad] (in Bengali). Student Ways. p. 84.
- ^ "বাংলাদেশ প্রতিষ্ঠায়ও ভূমিকা রেখেছেন কামরুল হাসান" [Quamrul Hassan also contributed to the founding of Bangladesh]. Janakantha (in Bengali). 3 December 2021.
- ^ Mortoza, Golam (15 July 2019). "'বিশ্ববেহায়া' স্বৈরাচার চলে গেলেন 'সাহেব' হয়ে" [The 'shameless' dictator left as a 'gentleman']. The Daily Star (in Bengali).
- ^ Haque, Syed Azizul (3 December 2021). "কামরুল হাসান: জন্মশতবর্ষে শ্রদ্ধা, ঐতিহ্যের প্রতি অঙ্গীকার" [Kamrul Hassan: Tribute on his birth centenary, a commitment to heritage]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali).
- ^ "নতুন পাঠ্যবইয়ে 'শেখ হাসিনার দেশত্যাগ' প্রসঙ্গ , আরও যেসব পরিবর্তন" [New textbooks include ‘Sheikh Hasina’s exile’ and other changes]. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). 4 January 2025.