October 10, Thursday marks the 25th death anniversary of internationally famous artist SM Sultan.
The Narail district administration and SM Sultan Foundation have organized several programs to observe the day.
The programs included placing wreaths at the Artist's Mazar and Ziarat in the residential premises in the morning.
A children's painting competition, discussion meeting and prize distribution will be held at the Narail Shishu Shwargo.
SM Sultan was awarded with the Ekushey Padakin 1984, and the Cambridge University declared him as the “man of Asia” in the same year.
Sultan was born on August 10, 1923, in Masimdia, Narail.
After five years of primary education at the Victoria Collegiate School in Narail, young Sultan had to give up school due to financial constraints and began working for his father, a mason. As a child, he had a strong inclination for art and did not waste any opportunity to draw even if it was with charcoal.
While he did not have the financial means to pursue an education in art, fate would have it otherwise for a young Sultan. He eventually travelled to Kolkata in 1938, with the local zamindar bearing the travel expenses. However, owing to his lack of a proper academic background, it was at first impossible for him to gain admission to the Art School in Kolkata. As luck would have it, he was able to bypass the admission process and join the institution with the help of renowned poet and art critic Hasan Shahid Suhrawardy. However, after three years, he left the institution to travel around India, working as a freelance artist.
During his time in Bangladesh, barring a few occasional visits to Dhaka and his short-lived stint after he was made a national artist, Sultan lived in the quiet isolation in Narail in a building overlooking the river Chitra.
Sultan won many awards during his lifetime including the Ekushey Padak, Bangladesh Charu Shilpi Sangsad award in 1986 and the ‘Independence Award’ in 1993 while Cambridge University, in1984 declared him ‘Man of Asia’. Today marks the 25th anniversary of Sultan’s passing. While the man himself may no longer be in our midst, his legend continues to grow unabatedly through his works which transcend the test of time.
Sultan died on October 10, 1994, at Jessore Combined Military Hospital after suffering from a prolonged breathing illness.
