Mustafa Monwar

Mustafa Monwar (born 1 September 1935)[2] is a Bangladeshi artist.[3] He is a painter, sculptor, radio performer and professor of fine arts. He is currently the chairman of Bangladesh Shishu Academy. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2004 by the Government of Bangladesh.[4]

Mustafa Monwar
Born (1935-09-01) 1 September 1935
Jessore, Bengal Presidency, British India[1]
NationalityBangladeshi
Alma materGovernment College of Art & Craft, Kolkata
OccupationPainter, sculptor, artist
Spouse(s)
Merry Monwar
​
(m. 1965)​
Parent(s)Golam Mostofa
AwardsEkushey Padak
Signature

Early life

Monwar is the son of poet Golam Mostofa. He passed his matriculation exam from Narayanganj Government High School. He was initially admitted to the Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta where he studied science. Following the advice of the author Syed Mujtaba Ali, he transferred to the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata from where he graduated obtaining best result in his class.[5]

Career

Monwar started his career as lecturer at the East Pakistan College of Arts and Crafts. Later, he joined Bangladesh Television (BTV) as director general.[6] Later he became the director general of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy[7] and the National Media Institute. He also served as a managing director of the FDC.[8]

Works

During the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, he organized puppet shows at the refugee camps in West Bengal. His created puppet plays like Agachha (Weed), Rakkhash (Monster) and A Brave Farmer. He was known as the "Puppet Man of Bangladesh".[5] American documentary filmmaker Lear Levin visited Bangladesh to make a film on his puppets. These scenes were later added to Tareque Masud's film Muktir Gaan (1995).[9]

Monwar's television puppet show Moner Kotha ran on BTV for 12 years. It tells the story of a little girl called Parul and her seven brothers named Champa who were cursed and turned into flowers. It is based on the folklore Saat Bhai Champa.[10] He runs Dhaka-based organization Educational Puppet Development Centre (EPDC).[10]

Monwar's teleplays include The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare and Raktokorobi by Rabindranath Tagore. He showcased his own interpretations of Hans Christian Andersen's The Nightingale, and The Ugly Duckling. He is the Bangladesh representative of the Denmark-based International Puppet Development Centre.[5]

Personal life

Monwar has been married to Merry Monwar since 1965.[8] Together they had one daughter, Nandini Monwar and one son, Sadat Monwar.[8]

Awards
  • All India Fine Arts Competition Award (1957)[5]
  • Zainul Abedin Gold Medal
  • Ekushey Padak (2004)[4]
  • Anando Bichitra Award (2004)[10]
  • The Daily Star and Standard Chartered Bank Lifetime Achievement Award Winner (2017)[11]

References
  1. "Mustafa Monwar's birthday to be celebrated Thursday". theindependentbd.com. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. "Many Happy Returns to Mustafa Monwar!". The Daily Star. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  3. "Celebrating Mustafa Monwar, artist extraordinaire". The Daily Star. 3 September 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  4. "10 awarded Ekushey Padak". The Daily Star. UNB. 17 February 2004. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  5. "Mustafa Monwar". The Daily Star. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  6. "A family affair & the king's crown". The Daily Star. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  7. Nashid Kamal (15 June 2003). "The Genius of Mustafa Monowar : The mentor of a generation of budding artistes". The Daily Star. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  8. "মুস্তাফা মনোয়ার" [Mustafa Monwar] (in Bengali). Gunijan. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  9. "Cultural activist recalls the Liberation War". The Daily Star. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  10. "Mustafa Monwar: The modern day Geppetto : 'Painters and artistes never retire from their work'". The Daily Star. 29 July 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  11. "Words from Previous Celebrating Life". The Daily Star. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
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