The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka opened a 10-day art exhibition, “Sampriti,” on May 8 to mark the 165th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. The show brings together works produced during a two-day art camp by 33 prominent contemporary Bangladeshi artists, many of whom are ICCR scholars.
Artists whose work appears in the exhibition include Rafiqun Nabi, Monirul Islam, Abdus Shakoor, Abdus Sattar, Farida Zaman, Ranjit Das, Jamal Ahmed and Naima Haque, among others. The camp and exhibition were curated by Professor Sanjoy Chakraborty of the Dhaka University Fine Arts faculty.
High Commissioner Pranay Verma inaugurated the exhibition and highlighted the role of shared artistic and cultural traditions as the foundation of India–Bangladesh ties. He described art as a potent medium for sustaining people-to-people connections, facilitating dialogue and empathy across borders. Verma paid special tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore as a central cultural figure linking the two countries.
Senior artists Professor Rafiqun Nabi and Monirul Islam welcomed the initiative and expressed hope that “Sampriti” will encourage more exchanges between artists from India and Bangladesh, further strengthening cultural bonds.
The IGCC said the exhibition follows the “Sampriti” Art Camp held on April 10–11 to commemorate the 77th Foundation Day of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). For more than seven decades, ICCR initiatives in the arts, education and cultural exchange have aimed to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between India and other nations, including Bangladesh.
The High Commissioner also paid homage to late Bangladeshi artist and ICCR scholar Tarun Ghosh, who died in April; one of his works is displayed in the exhibition in remembrance of his contributions. The opening evening featured Rabindra Sangeet performed by Professor Shahnaz Nasrin Ila of Dhaka University’s Music Department.
Sampriti is open to the public at the IGCC from May 8 through May 17, offering visitors an opportunity to experience contemporary Bangladeshi art framed around themes of cultural harmony and collaboration.
