“In my father’s shadow”

Till today and I imagine forever my father’s spirit will illuminate my soul…

Knowing a legend is extraordinary and I say a legend because his legacy breathes the air everyday through his Shahid Minar… To the new generation who has forgotten the essence of Art and Sculpture and only live through the new digital age, please allow me to introduce you to one of the greatest artist, painter and architects of all time. His legacy lives on everyday through his passion for the living breathing monument, “The Shahid Minar”.

Many have visited the Minar to give their respect and their condolences. It has become a place for comfort and consolation. The deeper meaning behind the Minar will ‘inshallah’ bring its followers even closer to the structure and its significance. This is the timeline of my father’s journey to creating the Shaheed Minar

1951 - Hamidur Rahman, pioneer of his country went to Beaux Arts in Paris to study painting. He also studied in London and Florence. (London School of Arts). He stayed in Europe for 5 years.

1956 - A transition period for Humidur Rahman.

Abba decided to head back to his roots. His passion for his country was immense. He could have chosen to go to Karachi where a lot of money was available for Europe trained artists but he didn’t. His deep feelings for his country guided him a difficult Art world of then East Pakistan. At the same time Zainul Abedin was also struggling hard to lead the Art Movement in Dhaka.

Hamidur Rahman took Dhaka by storm with his abstract paintings. His first experiment with modern impressionism. One Woulf Bourgelame of Newark from USA was known to have bought all of the 35 paintings my father had in his collection.

1957 - Chief Minister of East Pakistan Ataur Rahman Khan requested Chief engineer Jabbar and Zainul Abedin to ask Hamidur Rahman to prepare a plan for a Shaheed Minar.

Abba was very happy. He found an outlet to express Bengali Nationalism. My father presented 52 drawings of sketches out of a hundred more he had worked on. The design was chosen by Greek artist Dexlodes, engineer Abdul Zabbar and artist Zainul Abedin.

1957 - Hamidur Rahman starts his work on the Shaheed Minar. In order to finish by February of the following year Abba ordered two huts to be built next to the site, one to sleep in and one as a studio.

He also spent many nights sleeping in hospital cots in the hospital nearby. He left his Islampur house to be closer to the site to breath the atmosphere.

 _______A Living Breathing Monument_______

- He raised the platform and the three columns on time, grasping two basic forms:

 Horizontal & Vertical

 Theme: Revolt & Peace

 Love & Grief

 Tear & Solace

 - Vertical lines: manifestation of the inner strength of the nation’s convection.

 - Horizontal lines: tensions of horizontal and vertical lines of different heights.

 - Central piece: the bowed head of the symbolic mother, giving protection and blessings and leans forward at the neck.

- Original idea included: stained glass to be used in the columns on which patterns of hundreds of eyes were to be incorporated and through which the sunlight would glow.

- Floor: made of marble to reflect or show the moving shadows of the columns as the sun crossed the sky. Creating a mobile drama of geometric lines and color from the stained glass.

There was room for a clock tower and a research library beneath the Minar. In the basement gallery of the Minar Abba had designed a 15 000 sq. ft of Fresco Art, depicting the scenes of The Language Movement.

He had learned the Fresco Art technique during his studies in London and Florence. There is a picture of the details of one of the murals (University of Dhaka, wet Fresco) (This piece was erased by vandals) Novera Ahmed: collaborated with Hamidur Rahman by designing a fountain and embellishing the landscape. That was the extend of her involvement.

1958: General Ayub Khan imposed Martial Law

- Minar plan was stopped and all related to the Minar was tortured and harassed.

- Abba left Bangladesh (No one was allowed to work on the Minar anymore)

- He left for the U.S, Philadelphia , where he worked as a research scholar. He did a Mural depicting the Language Movement in the Library Hall ( Available in the archives of the Art Department of the Philadelphia University).

1960: My parents got married August 28, 1960

1972: Designs were called to rebuild the Shaheed Minar. Some parts of the Minar was destroyed by the Pakistani Army.

Hamidur Rahman’s original design was selected once again as a new competition was held.

Committee for Shaheed Minar: Artist Zainul Abedin, Architect Mazharul Islam, Poet Sufia Kamal, Professor Munir Chowdhury, Greek Architect Signor Dexlades, Engineer Abdul Jabbar, Designer Hamidur Rahman

1973-74: Mural in London in the Common Wealth Institute.

1977: Dawson College Mural

Hamidur Rahman’s murals cover 11 000 sq. ft. of wall space in different countries of the world.

All this information was collected to clarify the timeline and description, the Man and the inspiration behind the Shaheed Minar. 

This is a celebration of my father, from his very proud daughter.

"Art Must be of Everlasting Value"- Hamidur Rahman

Written by Nawshaba Khuda