Enamul Karim Nirjhar

Enamul Karim Nirjhar
Native name এনামুল করিম নির্ঝর
Nationality Bangladeshi
Alma mater Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
Occupation Architect
Awards Architecture
AYA,2007 for BATB Headquarter,Dhaka.
Excellence in Architecture,2013 for conceptual corporate neighborhood ninaKABBO.
Film
National Award in 4 categories including Best Direction for "AHA" in 2007.
Photography
National Winner of Kodak Fiap Photography Competition,1992.
Buildings British American Tobacco Headquarter, Dhaka, FRS, ninaKABBO,Liakat Ali residence, Voot restaurant etc.

Enamul Karim Nirjhar (Bengali: এনামুল করিম নির্ঝর) is a Bangladeshi architect[1] and film maker. All through his professional life he has been an avid practitioner in the field questioning conventional ideas. He is the founder & principal architect of SYSTEM architects[2] one of the leading architecture design consultancy practices of Bangladesh. He won numerous national & international awards for his works in architecture. In 2007 he won AYA JK[3] Architect of the Year honor for British American Tobacco headquarters in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 2013 for ninaKABBO[4] he won 6th Berger Award for Excellence in Architecture.[5] His works include conceptual residences, thematic corporate houses and a group of experiential restaurants that helped change the whole dining experience of the city dwellers.

His professional journey began with graphic designing when he was a student and then gradually he explored other creative fields like painting, photography, writing etc. to take inspiration from these co- professional activities. As an organizer he always tried to make hubs for young creative as eye opener. He started his architecture profession with interior designing to create multilayer definition of spaces and also at that time he took an initiative to uplift conceptual restaurants to have more attachment with his city, interest and philosophical views. From the mid-1990s to 2005 he designed number of popular restaurant like White Castle, Bukhara, Asparagus, Santoor, Voot, Bonanza, Hotel Agrabad, We in Dhaka, Chittagong and UK where he tried to put all of his social observations in the form of profiling and performance which gave a new dimension to the designers, guests and the owners. Gradually he entered into the practice of architecture of different residential, commercial, industrial and institutional projects. He and his young team moved with a process of making sense in terms of function, identity, nature, culture and big horizon of life. At this moment his studio based practice is more focused on believing to find a language of truthful existence with number of assigned and fantasy projects.

He never believes to live in a box, that's why besides practicing architecture he made other wings of social interest with film, music and few other creative practices to develop a collaborative so that upcoming young professionals can get a strong platform in the future.

He is also a noted filmmaker of Bangladesh. Till date he has two features, AHA (2007) and Nomuna (2009), and several documentaries including: The Shadow Gap, Tini (The Architect), and Manush, Koyta, Asche in his name. He is also a prolific lyricist and song maker. Soon with 101 songs Ek Nirjharer Gaan is going to be launched from a new music platform called Gaanshala.[6] The songs of the project are written and tunes composed by him. In early 90s he worked as a photographer and won KODAK FIAP national award it.

Early years

Enamul Karim Nirjhar was born to Muhammad Afsar Ali and Momtaz Begum in Rajshahi of Bangladesh. In the mid-1970s he was admitted to Rajshahi Cadet College. Then in 1971 he along with his family had to leave the country only to return after the war in independent Bangladesh to find their home burned down to ashes.

Architecture

Photograph of ninaKABBO at night light

He studied architecture From Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). With an indigenous approach he started to integrate stories and narratives in the building surface in an approach to make the design more meaningful. Deep connection between culture and people, use of local motifs, Bengali language texts and graphics on the facades of the building are central features of his work with the intention to create a sense of aesthetic awareness to remind people about their roots.

Film

Nirjhar started his film career directing short documentary films on social issues. These include: The Shadow Gap (2003), Tini (The Architect) (2005), and Manush, Koyta, Asche (2006). Tini (The Architect) is about the life and work of architect Muzharul Islam, a pioneer of modern architecture in Bangladesh.[7][8][9]

Nirjhar's first feature film, Aha! (2007), is set in a 100-year-old building in a neighborhood that is quickly changing into a forest of high rises.[10][11] Nirjhar is the writer, director, lyricist and producer of the film. It won National Film Awards in four categories.[12] It was Bangladesh's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2007, but was not nominated.[13]

His second film, Nomuna (2009) is a dystopian social satire about political turmoil. Apart from directing, he also wrote the story, script, and songs for the film.[12] The eight-song soundtrack was released in September 2009, but the Bangladesh Film Censor Board refused to issue the film a censor certificate.[14][15][16]

Photography and writing

From an early period he was very much involved in photography as another of his passions. He participated in several exhibitions with his photography works. Bornodhara (2001), a book of his photography and poetry, was a tribute to the Bangla alphabet and language.[17]

He joined the popular humor magazine Unmad and in the mid-1980s became a contributor to the weekly Sachitra Shandhani. He was the initiator of an experimental magazine on cinema named Kino Eye and literary magazine Potito Shubash. He has also written three books of stories: Kanush (2010), Jaa (2012), and Oboshesh Ongshobishesh.

Album Ek Nirjharer Gaan is a compilation of 101 Bangla songs written and composed by Nirjhar and released on label Gaanshala.[6][18]

Other initiatives

Along with study of architecture at BUET he started different youth and culture oriented initiatives. A stage play at that time named Bibhajito Upakkhan organized by him became almost a part of the legacy of BUET's cultural activity. He was involved in various cultural activities related to film movement, poetry, story writing, publication and illustration.

Selected projects

Commercial

Restaurant

Residential

Filmography

Documentary

Feature films

Exhibitions

References

  1. ↑ Ashraf, Kazi; Haque, Saif ul. "Enamul Karim Nirjhar". The Architectural League of New York.
  2. ↑ "Principal Architect". SYSTEM architects.
  3. ↑ "Winners Since Inception". Architect of the Year Awards.
  4. ↑ "ninaKABBO". SYSTEM architects.
  5. ↑ "Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited". Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited.
  6. 1 2 "Gaanshala". gaanshala.com.
  7. ↑ "Prospering Bangladesh, Reconciliation and co-existence". imperfect – world – 2010 (Blog). 16 June 2006.
  8. ↑ "Documentary film launched on Arc. Mazharul Islam". ArchSociety. 14 August 2005.
  9. ↑ "Biodata of Muzharul Islam". Muzharul Islam Archive.
  10. ↑ "Enamul Karim Nirjhar's Movie Aha!". PriyoAustralia.com.au. 2 December 2007.
  11. ↑ "Aha!". Rotten Tomatoes.
  12. 1 2 "Nirjhar's Nomuna ready for release". The Daily Star. 10 January 2009.
  13. ↑ "67 Countries Vying for 2008 Foreign Language Film Oscar". Oscars. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "Soundtrack of Nirjhar's 'Nomuna' launched". The Daily Star. 14 September 2009.
  15. ↑ "Shakira to sing in Indo-Bangla production". The Indian Express. 7 January 2012.
  16. ↑ "Censorship and Human Rights". Forum (The Daily Star). December 2012.
  17. ↑ "Bornodhara". Boi Mela.
  18. ↑ "'Maa Chhara Prothom' to release today". The Daily Star. 10 May 2015.
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