Shawdesh Desk:

The Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition was opened for public viewing at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Saturday. Education Minister Dipu Moni, H.E KM Khalid, State Minister for Culture and High Commissioner of India Vikram Doraiswami inaugurated the exhibition.

Md. Abul Monsur, Secretary to the Ministry of Culture, Bangladesh and Mr. Liaqat Ali Lucky, DG, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy were also present.

The exhibition will remain in Dhaka from 26 September 2021 to 11 October 2021 and is hosted by the High Commission of India in association with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Bangladesh and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

The Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition celebrates in a uniquely thematic way, the life and legacy of the Fathers of each of the two Nations, Mahatma Gandhi and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The exhibition was specially curated by the two Governments to commemorate Mujib Borsho and to mark 150 years of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, as well as the golden jubilee of India-Bangladesh bilateral relations.

The exhibition was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina on 16 December 2020 during the India-Bangladesh Virtual Summit.

During the visit of Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in March 2021, the two leaders visited and appreciated the digital exhibition at a special display arranged at Bangabandhu International Conference Center, Dhaka.

This unique digital exhibition, specially curated by Mr. Birad Yagnik, Curator of Mahatma Gandhi Digital Museums was also displayed at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi from 16 December 2020 to 31 January 2021 where it was well-received. After 11 October 2021, the Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition will also be displayed at Chattogram, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna and Kolkata.

High Commission of India in association with Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Bangladesh and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy cordially invite one and all to view this interactive exhibition, which includes unique and customized technological features to make the experience more immersive.

Curatorial Note

Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition is curated with 22 walls of information and over 100 points of digital engagement. The experience starts with the introduction wall that showcases the theme of the exhibition and establishes the status of these two great leaders in the eyes of the world via testimonials.

The next two walls provide a comprehensive view of the life of the two leaders. The Meeting Wall – is based on the day the two leaders met in August 1947 displayed is probably the only photo in the world that has both Banagabandhu and Bapu in one frame. A holographic time machine that layers historical photos with a time line provides a unique interface to the user to reference the time and lives. The next segment states the incidents from their youth that shaped their moral fibre.

The next wall showcased the three most famous movements in their lives, the Salt march is considered by Time Magazine to be amongst the three most importance movements of modern history, while the speech of March 7th is on the Memory of the World Register of UNESCO, a list of world’s important documentary heritage.

The pain, suffering and injustice endured by the people are presented in the Jalliawalla Bagh and the Genocide tunnel. The visitor has an option to review the wall of 1971 that sequences the events of that year. The justification of using force and the help received by the liberation army are two end of the moral fibre of Humanity.

The triangle of engagement provides the much needed visual relief from the pain and suffering, where 360 degree of locations can be experienced. A robotic signature viewed and the favourite music of the two leaders enjoyed. The wall celebrating BA and Banga MATA showcases the two women who stood by their men and advised them at the right time.

Both were revered and always held a position of importance in their life. The vision the two leaders had for their country and people is articulated in the next segment. The last walk of the exhibition provides a social message on the pandemic, allows the visitor to engage on an interactive wall the information they have learnt. As a parting interaction the visitor can take a photo with the two leaders and leave a video testimonial to become a part of the exhibition.