Kazi Abul Kasem
| Kazi Abul Kasem | |
|---|---|
| Born |
7 May 1913 Jhenaidah, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Died |
19 July 2004 (aged 91) Dhaka, Bengaladesh |
| Occupation | Painter, political cartoonist, children's book author, poet, short-story writer, novelist, essayist |
| Language | Bengali, English |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Ethnicity | Bengali |
| Notable works | Puber Janala, Gama Mamar Sare Gama, Kajla Pussy, Putir Mala |
| Notable awards |
Bangla Academy Award |
| Spouse | Hasina Begum (m. 1937–92) |
| Children | Nine children, one among the nine have deceased |
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| Signature |
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Kazi Abul Kasem, 
pronunciation (Bengali: কাজী আবুল কাসেম; 7 May 1913 – 7 August 2003) pseudonym Dopiaza, was a Bengali polymath, pathfinder creative professional who is known as the very first Muslim cartoonist in Indian subcontinent. Painting and drawing cartoons for many different renowned magazines from 1937 to 1980, Kazi Abul Kasem have played different roles in his region from using arts to influence political movement to painting masterpieces for national museum.
Kazi Abul Kasem was awarded for painting best cover art for children's publication by Bangla Academy, he was awarded for promoting child literature twice in a row by জাতীয় গ্রন্থ কেন্দ্র (National Book Council of Bangladesh). He was known as a keen observer of arts made for children from very young age, later which he picked up as a part of his profession. Many of his assorted line drawings and illustrations were used in school's national textbook. Despite achieving many different honors from various organizations, it is matter of sorrow that Kazi Abul Kasem had never been awarded The National Medal of Arts, neither when Pakistan was part of Bangladesh nor after the liberation war 1971.
Early life: 1913–1926
Kazi Abul Kasem was born in his uncles house in Umedpur, Shailkupa, Jhenaidah to parents Kazi Makbul Ali and Meher Un Nisa Khatun. At the age of four Kazi Abul Kasem lost his father.
Driven by extreme thrust for knowledge, young Kasem enters to a Pathshala (school for pupils) mentored by Baser Munshi and arrogant and abusive teacher, upon witnessing Baser's brutal punishment toward the kids, Kasem decide to get an admission in Akharjani primary school instead, where he first finds his artistic self through a drawing of an Ilish fish by the head master of the school.
At the age of five his mother Meher Un Nisa dies. After being an orphan, he was taken care by his maternal uncles.
Due to poverty Kazi Abul Kasem's school life faced fatal consequences. While living with his maternal uncles, he finishes up to fourth grade in G. T. elementary school. He skips fifth grade and moves on to Baliakandihigh school through Pangsha, where he ends up awarded Bursary in seventh grade for his extra ordinary result in final exams.
Kasem was inspired by some colored paintings of nature, initially collected by his mother Meher Un Nisa, he was then moved by the artworks of Abinash Chandra Sarkar and Nagendranath Kabiraj. As his uncles were from an extreme religion background, Kasem started training himself to draw and paint secretly. At this crucial verge of his life, his older brother Kazi Abul Hosen (1911-1974, fictional literature) had encouraged his younger brother the foremost to proceed with his dream and become an artist. Within few years young Kasem was well known in his area of living.
Calcutta: 1926–1950
Teenage Kasem's artwork was spotted by a padre named Reverend Barber, Barber acknowledges the potential artist living within the young artist and takes Kasem with him to provide an opportunity by finding admission to Calcutta Government School of Art. Kasem passes the entry examination but unfortunately he was too young to start his college life there and forced to return to his motherland.
Kasem focuses on studying seventh grade in Baliakandihigh school after returning from Calcutta for the first time, meanwhile his older brother Kazi Abul Hosen convinced his younger brother to join him on a journey to Assam a state of India located north-east from Bangladesh, Kasem was convinced upon realizing that he will have the chance to paint additional natural scenery up there. They start their journey to Assam and Kasem puts an end to his academic career. Kazi Abul Kasem have drawn many oil paintings in Assam, most of them of nature only, he and his brother started taking shelter in random places at night, they start travelling Kamarupa, Kamakhya, Pandu, Guwahati, Lumding and many other places, mostly surrounded by rocky mountains or forestry. From excessive travelling Kasem become fatigue and financially broke. As a result Kasem start working as Railway Contractor in Lumding train station, that is how Kasem put an end to pursue his academic career. After recovering from money crisis he takes a route leading to Calcutta instead home saying farewell to his older brother.
He, once again, sits for an admission to enter Calcutta Government School of Art, but this time he was short funded and was rejected for the final time. Without having a chance enter in his dream institution, Kasem admits himself to another art school named Indian Art School in the same city. Understanding Kazi Abul Kasem's situation, Shamsur Rahman a legendary poet, columnist and journalist of Bangladesh tried to help him, but due to poor standard of teaching of that school, Kasem dropped himself out once again.
Chowdhury Shamsur Rahman wrote on one of his book, Pochish Bochor (পচিশ বছর, twenty five years);
| “ | [...] Artist Kazi Abul Kasem also joined in our office party of Tablighi (monthly tabloid, 1927) as a fourteen years old bohemian lad. As he was such a gifted artist, he was sent for an admission to Indian Art School. After few days he had explained that the nominal art school is not worth it, as they do not show how to create an art properly it will a waste of time for him to be there.
So, he was sent to work with block maker N. Mittra, from there he never had to look back, the story unfolds only for him to explain how his creative wisdom was spread in time, his art became popular and as a result his artworks were published frequently in magazines like Probashi (প্রবাসী, abroad) and Bichitra (বিচিত্রা, attractions). |
” |
Occupational Life and Homecoming
From the help of Shamsur Rahman, Kazi Abul Kasem starts his professional career as an artist working for N. Mittra & co. a commercial art studio. Despite the fact of low monthly salary Kasem bloomed into an aesthetic artist hence an asset of the studio.
In 1941 he leaves the studio and starts working as an Artist Designer under culture department of Bengal Government.
In Early fifty Kasem was appointed as an art instructor to teach students in Vocational Training Centre for Demobilized Personnel.
Kasem returns homeland Bengal Presidency of Khulna on mid fifty, he then moves to Dhaka and starts working as a freelance artist from his house. He had to hire couple of art college interns for professional use due to overloading tasks from the clients. Meanwhile he worked as a part-time art reviewer for national text book foundation. Until 1966 he worked full-time as art director for Franklin book programs. He resumed his freelance career after terminating the last job.
Works
Known mostly for his paintings, Kasem drew caricatures, cartoons; written poems, rhymes, short stories and songs. His writings for children books were notable, he had painted the illustration for most of his books which were enriched with imagery. His cartoon and caricature was most notable for them politically playing a crucial role during the Language Movement. During his visit to Calcutta, many famous people such as Abanindranath Tagore the creator of Indian Society of Oriental Art, folklorist Gurusaday Dutt, leading Bengali novelists Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay and many more, who inspired him to chase his dream to become a pathfinder artist. While working in Calcutta, Kasem created quite a few drawing and illustrations of these great people which also brought him on the lime light.[1]
Art and Music
In his lifetime, Kazi Abul Kasem has created hundreds of pictures, cartoons and caricatures, a large portion of his arts were published in various famous magazines in Calcutta, also he painted a number paintings for exhibition, few among the exquisite creation of Kazi Abul Kasems arts are stored in Bangladesh National Museum, located in Shahbag open for public display.
There were three different kinds of Arts which Kazi Abul Kashem researched for years;
- Tender Arts, Shukumar Chitra (সুকুমার চিত্র)
- Landscape Painting, Biyaboharik Chitra (ব্যাবহারিক চিত্র)
- Caricatures, Kerikyachar (কেরিক্যাচার)
He was very diligent at drawing traditional Tender Arts in a form of painting, in some of his pictures he have introduced a different lining and texturing phenomena, which introduced a new trend in creative painting. His technique of successfully blending live paints with caricature is also very popular among the art critiques.
Dopaiza was the pseudonym Kazi Abul Kasem used as a trademark sign after finishing with any political cartoons, his cartoons were published in Saogat, Hanafi and many other famous magazines based on renowned editorial board. Different newspapers such as Ittefaq, Daily Shangbad, Daily Azad use to publish his political cartoons.
A feature animation studio hired Kazi Abul Kasem as key animator, he also worked as an inbetweener for making an animated feature called Shabash under producer V. P. Malik Debaprakash Malik in 1946 on Mumbai.[2]
To take a break from constantly producing illustrations, paintings and cartoons; Kazi Abul Kasem used to practice music composition and singing, he use to perform gigs on radio featuring as a vocal artist in All India Radio station in mid 1940's. He was awarded Silver medals twice for Outstanding Performance in Music by Shri Dev Narayan Dev, Councilor of Calcutta Corporation.[3] From very young age Kazi Abul Kasem was attracted to music, when he was on Calcutta he took lessons on Indian classical music, Ghazal and Folk music from Ustaad Mohamed Husain Khasru (1903-1959), classical musician and composer; Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, Girija Shankar and Ustad Kader Baksh, known as the teacher of the most renowned tabla player of twentieth century.
Kazi Abul Kasem have composed more than hundreds of songs, a book was published on 1967 from his selected 26 songs called Gaanguli Mor (My songs), the book contained, Ragga (3), Baul (1), Jhumur (1), Vatiyali (1), Ghazal (3) and Aadhunik (15) etc. 11 songs among the 26, were broadcast on Dhaka Radio Station, most of the songs were composted and instrumented by Ustad Kader Jameri.
Citations
- ↑ Mohammad Badrul Ameen Khan, Pathikrit Chitrashilpi Kazi Abul Kasem, Saleha Khatun Baishistya Prokashani
- ↑ Mohammad Badrul Ameen Khan, Pathikrit Chitrashilpi Kazi Abul Kasem, Saleha Khatun Baishistya Prokashani, p. 18
- ↑ Mohammad Badrul Ameen Khan, Pathikrit Chitrashilpi Kazi Abul Kasem, Saleha Khatun Baishistya Prokashani, p. 20