Staff Correspondent

State Minister for Land and Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin, MP, visited the closing day of the art exhibition titled 'Odhikarer Songram' (Struggle for Rights) at National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Friday.

He highly commended the unique initiative, which beautifully depicted seven decades of democratic struggles from 1952 to 2024 through the expressive language of visual art.

Following his tour of the gallery, the State Minister joined an interactive exchange meeting with the participating young painters. During his address, he remarked that the previous fascist government over the last 17 years had deprived the youth of freely appreciating and practicing art. He highlighted that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman deeply values the significance of sports, culture, and fine arts, wishing for the younger generation to be enlightened by cultural pursuits.

Characterizing fine arts as the mirror of a nation's civilization, Barrister Mir Helal noted that the brighter this mirror shines, the better the nation can identify and discover its true potential. He recalled the rich history of state patronage for art and culture in Bangladesh, emphasizing that Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and Deshnetri Begum Khaleda Zia always played pioneering roles in developing a healthy and progressive cultural landscape.

During his visit, he also held detailed discussions regarding the future of art in Bangladesh with Benazir Ahmed, the main coordinator and organizer of the exhibition and Co-Organizational Secretary of BNP, along with contemporary young painters.