A visual ode to ‘Shesher Kabita’ reimagines Tagore’s novel at Shilpakala
Amit Raye had an eye for the unaccustomed, Labanya was not going to be limited by customs. With Parambrata Chatterjee's eyes speaking volumes as Amit, and Dr Sreya Sen in Labanya's free-spiritedness, Rabindranath Tagore's characters from "Shesher Kabita" have come alive in the photostory exhibition, titled "Shesher Kabita a photostory by Bowner Dighi", underway at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
It has been nearly a hundred years since "Shesher Kobita", the poetic love story with a realist culminating verse, was published in parts in the Probashi magazine. After its serialised release, it was published as one of Rabindranath Tagore's most celebrated novels, later translated as "The Last Poem" and "Farewell Song". It has also been adapted into a motion picture and several audiobooks, all readily available with just a click. This photostory version of "Shesher Kabita" by Bowner Dighi (Fouzia Jahan), however, stands different from the rest.
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In a quest to simplify and visualise literature through aesthetic stills, a first-of-its-kind photostory exhibition was opened to the public last Saturday (June 29) at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Earlier, an inauguration ceremony accompanied by a book launch was held on Friday evening attended by several eminent personalities where Social Welfare Minister Dr Dipu Moni graced the event as chief guest. She memorably noted, "A photo can say a lot - that sometimes even words cannot. Tagore's characters have been truly reflected in the series of photographs."
Special guests at the event included Member of Parliament Aroma Dutta; Deputy Secretary Rajib Kumar Sarkar from Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy; Rabindrasangeet artist Dr Anima Roy, also an associate professor at the Department of Music, Jagannath University; and Dr Ashis Kumar Chakraborty, Bangladesh Awami League health and population sub-committee member and founder of the Gorobini Maa Award. The opening ceremony was presided over by popular actor and Member of Parliament Ferdous Ahmed.
Sequentially arranged, the famed novel has been broken down into 70 photographs telling the ageless story of modernity and traditions clashing against each other. Accompanied by excerpts in both Bengali and English, this story is told by photos taken by Bowner Dighi. The exhibition allowed visitors to journey through the gallery and experience the novel by the world poet, Rabindranath Tagore.
In colourful photographs and a few in monochrome, the project introduces with care the characters of Amit Raye, Labanya, Shobhanlal, Katy Mitter, and Yogamaya. Mita and Bonya's story is etched from their accident-stricken meet-cute to a marriage woven in dreams, culminating in a poetic yet realistic parting of ways. Lissy and Cissy appear in graceful vignettes, while Shobhanlal's dedication is reflected in a few shots. This exhibition is for enthusiasts of art and literature, as well as admirers of photos and words. It caters to those who have only heard about this famous novel, those who never had the chance to read it, and readers who are ready to be nitpicky about their versions of the celebrated characters.
Besides being a love story at its core, Tagore's "Shesher Kabita" also portrays empowered women through characters like Labanya and Katy. The exhibition team embodies this spirit, with the majority of its members being women from diverse professions. For instance, the female protagonist Sreya Sen is a doctor, while the photographer Fouzia Jahan is an architect.
In addition to her medical profession, Shreya's connection to literature, through translating and reciting it, gave her the courage to undertake this endearing work. The photographer of the series, Fouzia Jahan said, "Tagore's novels showcased strong women and this was one of the many reasons for choosing this novel for storytelling. We wanted to simplify the often considered complex literary pieces for the current generation."
She further told The Daily Star, "We tried to follow the novel to the utmost detail for an accurate portrayal, and over 3,500 photos were taken for the project to ensure perfection. The makeup was also done to align the project with the era described in the novel."
Two years in the making, the project featuring Parambrata Chatterjee, Dr Sreya Sen, Shashwta Datta, Shiri Farhana, Nipa Khan, Iffat Jahan Sara, and others, was headed by Fouzia Jahan with CF Zaman as the creative director. It received support from the Ministry of Culture and City Bank.
The exhibition, spanning two days on June 29 and 30, is running from 11am to 8pm at Gallery 7, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
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