Country’s legendary artist, puppeteer, painter, sculptor, fine-arts professor and media personality Mustafa Monwar turns 84 on Sunday. This celebrated artist was born on September 1, 1935 at Jessore to the renowned poet Golam Mostafa.
Currently serving as the chairman of the Bangladesh Shishu Academy and a professor of the Department of Drawing and Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka- Monwar started his career as lecturer at the East Pakistan College of Arts and Crafts, after graduating from the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata after obtaining excellent results.
In his illustrious and successful career, he held the position of director general at Bangladesh Television (BTV), Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and the National Media Institute. He also served as a managing director of the FDC, and the founder president of Directors Guild Bangladesh.
Mustafa Monwar is known as the “Puppet Man of Bangladesh”. During the Liberation War in 1971, he organized puppet shows at the refugee camps in West Bengal to make people aware about the war. His television puppet show ‘Moner Kotha’ ran on BTV for 12 years, which told the story of a little girl called Parul and her seven brothers named Champa who were cursed and turned into flowers. It is based on the folklore ‘Saat Bhai Champa’.
Still holding the affection and dedication to puppetry, Monwar is running the Dhaka-based organization, Educational Puppet Development Centre (EPDC). He is the Bangladesh representative of the Denmark-based International Puppet Development Centre, reports UNB.
This eminent art maestro has earned the prestigious All India Fine Arts Competition award, Zainul Abedin Gold Medal and most notably country’s highest honor, the Ekushey Padak in 2004.
