In honour of Lalon's 134th death anniversary on October 17, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has organised a three-day festival to celebrate his legacy. A press conference detailing the event will take place today at 3:00pm in the National Theatre Hall seminar room.

The formal aim of social documentary was initially to keep records, but by the 1930s, it evolved to enlighten and educate. Photographers gathered images to develop a ‘picture story’—a sequence of images that visually narrated incidents, with minimal text descriptions for context. These photo stories were powerful, capturing the world “in motion,” and representing people and their range of emotions—whether smiling, crying, angry, or vulnerable in moments as ordinary as any other in their daily lives.

As concerts, exhibitions, and theatre performances return in full swing, Dhaka is once again set to embrace its cultural vibrancy.

“Each photo will make people think, and that is our goal—to make people think, and we believe it will create an impact,” said Nawshaba.

The exhibition title, “Matir Manush” (which means "people of the soil"), is a term used to describe humble, down-to-earth individuals. Fittingly, the tepa dolls often depict our people, birds, and animals.

Veteran television actor Jamal Uddin Hossain passed away at the age of 81, in the early hours of this morning in Calgary, Canada.

After almost three months of closure, theatrical performances are set to resume today on a limited scale at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital. Bangladesh Theatre's production of "Sea Morog" will be performed at the National Theatre Hall auditorium on this inaugural day.

Sources at Shilpakala Academy confirmed that since the student-led protests, army personnel have been stationed in various rooms of the National Theatre Hall, making it impossible to allocate spaces for events or rehearsals. However, as conditions have improved, and following requests from cultural groups and organisations, the hall and two rehearsal rooms will now be available for theatre performances and rehearsals, albeit under strict conditions.

Through the artistes’ use of puppetry and physical movement, the invisible becomes visible, offering a glimpse into the unseen forces shaping the world around us. From "tree ghosts" blamed for Dhaka's infamous traffic to the "ectoplasm" holding up the city’s walls, the show plays with the supernatural in ways that are both whimsical and profound.

Being a cartoonist is Morshed Mishu’s preferred public identity, or as he describes himself, an “artivist”—someone who practices activism through art in a non-traditional manner. Mishu, who rose to prominence through his political cartoons and social activism, has journeyed to every corner of the country to aid his fellow countrymen.

Artists Masuda Khatun Jui and Jafrin Gulshan, who incorporate their passion and skills to touch the shores of surrealism, realism, and symbolism, forge intriguing art pieces that are not just for the eyes, but also for the depths of our minds. These paintings and installations— currently being hosted as a duet visual arts exhibition, titled “Embracing Inharmonious”, at Kala Kendra— delve into the women, lifestyles, thought processes, and political, social, and cultural aspects of our country.

Kazi Anirban, the grandson of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, passed away on Wednesday (October 3) in Switzerland due to a heart attack. He was the eldest son of Kazi Aniruddha, the rebel poet’s youngest child.

The six stories—"Swajati," "Dhusor," "Lukochuri," "Somoy," "Porichoy," and "Nirbhor"—were written by Tahnina Islam and directed by three prominent theatre directors, Azad Abul Kalam, Tropa Majumdar, and Pantha Shahriar.

The 30th edition of the prestigious “Kyoiku Bi Hon Ten” art exhibition, organised by the Shinkyuoku Art Association, opened on September 28, welcoming art enthusiasts from around the world.

The exhibition titled “Embracing Inharmonious”, featuring the works of artists Masuda Khatun Jui and Jafrin Gulshan, was inaugurated at Kala Kendra on September 27.

With their thought-provoking and experimental production “Praay Tin/Chaar Jon”, Prochondo Collective offers a stark portrayal of the harsh realities faced by ordinary people under authoritarian regimes. The play examines how lives are lived and disrupted by the constant threat of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, state-enforced brutality, and the overall subjugation of the human spirit, which is surveilled and extinguished at will.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s “King Lear”, “Aro Ekta Lear” is set to premiere in November, and Dutt believes it’s the perfect piece to bring his theatrical career full circle. “When I perform this play in November, I will be 71 years old,” Dutt said in an interview with an Indian newspaper. “I don’t see myself just as a director. I act in the plays I direct. At my age, the physical demands of theatre are becoming too much, so I thought it was time to make this decision.”

At the "Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art" auction, organised by Sotheby’s in New York on Thursday (September 26), Abedin’s painting "Untitled" was sold for US $692,048, or approximately Tk 8.27 crore. This marks the highest price ever paid for a Bangladeshi artwork at auction.

The essence of the events Bangladesh witnessed during the student-led mass uprising in July and August, which escalated into a bloodied revolution, ultimately toppling the regime of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and giving rise to what we now call a new Bangladesh, is truly inexplicable.

The Daily Star today hosted an evocative and poignant public lecture titled “Political Cartoon in Bangladesh: Past, Present & Future”. The engaging discussion, which had a restricted number of seats available, was effectively led by the creative Senior Cartoonist Mehedi Haque from Daily New Age. His ideation shone through as he guided the conversation, ensuring it was both informative and stimulating for the attendees.