A Tour of

Bangladeshi
Creations
By Su Jinan 
AA100 
Introduction
Welcome to the Tour of Bangladeshi Creations!
This is an exploration of creativity that
originates in the country of Bangladesh. I
picked this theme because I have Bangladeshi
origin and was interested in learning more about
art in my culture. Because I grew up in the
United States, I only know the basics of
Bangladeshi culture, especially in the arts
department. This project helped me dive into the
depths of monumental pieces of work that
represent larger stories. The four stops of this art
tour include Nakshi Kanthas, the Shaheed
Minar, Amar Shonar Bangla, and Rickshaw
Art. 
On the right is a map of Bangladesh. It is
located along the southern border of Asia. The
capital city is Dhaka. All stops on this tour
originate in this country. 

Image Source: Blogspot

Case 1: Nakshi Kantha

Image Source: Facebook Marketplace

Case 1: Analysis  Cultural Significance:
Description
Nakshi Kantha is an embroidered quilt that is
indigenous to Bangladesh and can be
traced back to medieval literature. When
making a kantha, the fabric of the quilt is
layered to achieve the desired thickness. Next,
the designs are drawn on the cloth and traced
with needle and thread in order of outlines,
focal points, and fillings. They are primarily
used as blankets or comforters, but varying
sizes are also used for swaddling babies,
handkerchiefs, sitting mats, prayer rugs, shawls,
or wraps for valuables. Today, the making
of nakshi kanthas are common in villages and
are sold both by street vendors in the city and
home decor stores.  lifestyle, and values.
The Nakshi Kantha is one of Bangladesh's old traditional art forms. While the
process of quilt embroidery is fairly simple, the colorful embroideries are intricate
and meaningful. It is traditionally made by rural women, who are empowered by the
needle to tell stories of family, aspirations, and lifestyle through the nakshi kantha.
Traditionally, the kanthas were made from old clothing, which makes sense because
the worth "kantha" comes from a Sanskrit word "kontha", meaning rags. Each quilt
has a central design surrounded by smaller designs. Kanthas are usually made in
villages, and each village or region has its own style of kanthas, and the unique
designs can help trace a kantha back to its origins. Flowers, fruits, plants, trees,
shapes, celestial figures, and people symbolize elements of traditional Bangladeshi
culture as well as religious beliefs related to Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, and
Hinduism. For example, a moon sewed on to a kantha is usually paying homage to
Islam. 
The pictured kantha appears be one reflecting lifestyle that showcases the harmony
of a village. There are working people gardening and sewing, with elements of
nature such as birds, flowers, and plants surrounding them. People joining hands
and hugging represent family and togetherness. The bright stitching in warm colors
brings a joyous take on the quilt's scene.
Nakshi kanthas are a beautiful, colorful representation of Bangladeshi culture,
Case 2: The Shaheed Minar 

Image Source: Ejob Circular

Case 2: Analysis
Description:  Bangladeshi people advocated for the recognition of Bangla as
The Shaheed Minar is a national
monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was
built in the year 1952 as a tribute to the
language martyrs who were killed for
advocating recognition for the Bangla
language. The Shaheed Minar is structured
with five white columns arranged in a
semi-circle with a large red circle looming
behind. The central, tallest part goes up to
46 ft. There are stairs highlighted in white
leading to it, and fences on both sides
painted with lines from famous poets.
Cultural Significance:
The Shaheed Minor is also known as the Martyr Monument that
honors the Language Movement of 1952. During the movement,
the official language of the region, which was under Pakistani
control at the time and thus the regime enforced Urdu as the
official language. The Shaheed Minor was built as a tribute to the
language martyrs, 11 student protestors who were killed by the
police for demanding state recognition of the Bangla language. 
The structure of the Shaheed Minor is very symbolic: The pillars
arranged in a semi-dome represent a mother and her fallen martyr
sons, their heads bowed. Behind the pillars is a large, blood-red
sun that represents the blood that was shed in February of 1952. 
On the morning of February 21st, the day the demonstrators were
killed, visitors wear black and white and walk barefoot to the
Shaheed Minor to commemorate the language martyrs. Often,
they lay bouquets of flowers and paint the steps of the
monument. 
Case 3: Amar Sonar Bangla

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r58G5iM_NU
Case 3: Analysis
Cultural Significance: 
Description: 
During the Liberation War in which Bangladesh fought for
Amar Sonar Bangla is the title of the
independence from Pakistan, the first 15 lines of Tagore's
Bangladeshi National Anthem. It
original, longer song was adopted to be the country's
translates to "My Golden Bangla", which
national anthem in 1971. The melody of the song
can be interpreted as an endearing
was adopted from a song called “Ami Kothay Pabo Tare”
possession of the Bangla language. The
by poet Gagan Harkara.
song was written by Rabindranath Tagore,
"Amar Sonar Bangla" translates to "My (amar) Golden
a poet, writer, artist, philosopher, and
(sonar) Bangla (the language)", and honors the Bangla
social reformer who shaped Bangladeshi
language through a possessive, endearing lens. The most
music and literature. The video provided
iconic and repetitive line in the anthem is "Amar sonar
is a rendition of the anthem sang by 50
Bangla, ami tomai balobashi" which translates to "My
celebrated Bangladeshi artists. Amar
golden Bangla, I love you". 
Sonar Bangla was written by
The national anthem is sang and played during national
Rabindranath Tagore in 1905, after the
holidays such as the Independence Day of Bangladesh on
original partition of Bangladesh from the
March 26 each year. In the 2021 video provided as the
Indian and Pakistani territories
artifact, the artists sang for the 50th year celebration of
Bangladesh's Independence. 
Case 4: Rickshaw Art 

Image Source: Great Big Canvas


Case 4: Analysis
Description:  the streets with a collage of vibrant colors due to its popularity in
Rickshaw art is a form of decorative art for rickshaws,
a popular form of short-distance public transportation
in Bangladesh. The art spreads throughout the
rickshaw's body, covering most of its exterior surface;
a lot of the more intricate, eye catching designs are
placed on the backboards so it faces the traffic at the
rear of the rickshaw. The designs are conveyed through
paint and cut-outs of brass, plastic, and paper. The
paint used is enamel paint, which cannot be mixed and
thus the images are mostly composed of primary colors
and without much scaling or dimension. Rickshaw art's
origins can be traced back to the 1940s-1950s.
Although is it an old, traditional practice done by
generations of artists, the modern day genre is credited
to a Bangladeshi artist named Biskut Abir for bringing
it to commercial light.  declining. Artists such as Biskut Abir use their platform to bring
Cultural Significance: 
Rickshaw art is important to Bangladeshi culture for several
reasons. It makes the appearance of rickshaws beautiful and paints
Bangladesh: many people depend on rickshaw services to
commute to short distance destinations in their daily life and
therefore the rickshaw is a staple in the Bangladeshi lifestyle. In
addition, different towns and regions of the country have their own
style of Rickshaw art: In the capital city of Dhaka, 80% of
rickshaws are decorated with film references and include human
figures as well as animal scenes, whereas other areas like
Chittagong focus their rickshaw designs around primarily flora
and fauna. Rickshaw art also has the power to make social and
political commentary: during the Liberation War period in the
early 70s, paintings of Bangaldeshi freedom fighters against
Pakistani control were a popular scene. Rickshaw artists are
usually rural workers and do not sign their work, although
sometimes license plates include the name of the shop. Recently,
with the rise of computerized art, the traditional rickshaw art is
the traditional art form back into practice and available for sale. 
Conclusion and
Summary

These four cases are all original, Bangladeshi creations that

represent pieces of history, tradition, and lifestyle for the
Bangladeshi people. As a young nation with a lot of rich
history and bustling every-day life, Bangladesh cherishes
each of the four tour stops and celebrates their significance in
its culture. The music, landmarks, and handmade art
discussed are all examples of a blossoming Bangladeshi
culture after the country won its independence and freedom
in 1971.

Circling back to the introduction, the research done on this

project helped me explore and understand symbolic creations
of my country of origin that shaped and drive its culture.
Learning about the historic figures, communities, and events
was very fascinating. 
Works Cited
Art, Philadelphia Museum of. “Kantha: The Embroidered Quilts of Bengal from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz and
the Stella Kramrisch Collections.” Philadelphia Museum of Art, 25 July 2010,
https://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/364.html.
Zawad, Safir. “The Beautiful Nakshi Kantha and Its History.” Bproperty, 23 Dec. 2020, 
https://www.bproperty.com/blog/nakshi-kantha-history/
“Shaheed Minar Back to MapContribute.” Survey of London | Shaheed Minar, Arts and Humanities Research
Council at the University College London, 27 June 2016, https://surveyoflondon.org/map/feature/297/detail/.
“National Anthem.” Banglapedia, 18 June 2021, https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/National_Anthem.
“Evolution of Rickshaw Art.” Rickshaw Art Archive, https://www.rickshawartarchive.org/evolutions.
*all image and video sources are under each image throughout the presentation. the two flag photos on slides 11 and
1 are directly from the Powerpoint tools.