DHAKA — The clatter of a rickshaw bell, the blaze of a painted tiger, a film heroine smiling from a tin panel — Dhaka's most beloved art form is headed for global recognition. The cultural affairs ministry confirmed it will nominate rickshaw painting for UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Master painter Abdul Hamid, 68, who has painted rickshaws in Sutrapur for five decades, wept when told. 'People called our work cheap decoration. Now the world will call it heritage,' he said, brush in hand, a half-finished peacock glowing on tin.
The nomination dossier documents 300 motifs — from Liberation War scenes to the burgeoning metro rail — and proposes a Rickshaw Art Museum in Old Dhaka plus stipends for 500 master painters to train apprentices. 'Every rickshaw is a moving gallery of Bengal's dreams,' the dossier declares.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Culture Desk • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
