Priyabhashini, Ferdowsi
Priyabhashini, Ferdowsi (1947-2010) a Bangladeshi sculptor and Freedom Fighter. Sculptor Ferdousi Priyabhashini has made sculptures from discarded tree trunks, tree roots, dry branches and other materials of trees. She introduced a new style of sculpture made of left-over materials in this country. She was a self-taught sculptor. She was born on 19 February 1947 in Khulna city at her grand-father’s house. Her mother’s name is Roshan Hasina and father’s name is Syed Mahbubul Haque. Despite going through adverse situation, she continued her education. She passed Matriculation from Khulna Pioneer Girl’s School. She passed Intermediate and earned BA from Khulna Girl’s College.
Ferdowsi Priyabhashini was the eldest among the eleven brothers and sisters. In her childhood, she came close to noted personalities tike Jahanara Imam, Sufia Kamal, SM Sultan, Khan Sarwar Murshid and Zillur Rahman Siddiqui. She first served in Khulna Aga Khan School from 1963 with a salary of BDT 60 only. Later on, she worked as a telephone operator in a Mill in Khulna. During the 1971 Liberation War, she was subjected to beastly violation by the Pakistani occupation forces.
Priyabhashini married Ahsan Ullah Ahmed for the second time in 1972 after independence. She spent the years 1972 to 1977 in various places because her husband moved to such places as his job was a transferable one. During this time, she used to decorate her house with various materials available from nature. From 1977 to 1998, she worked in many organizations including UNDP, UNICEF, FAO and Canadian Embassy. In 1985, during her stay in Jessore, artist SM Sultan organized a solo exhibition of her works. This event gave her name and fame. After coming to Dhaka, her devotion to work with wood got a faster pace. She had created sculptures with various natural materials including discarded tree trunks and branches. In the beginning, she cut the gifts of nature and presented them in an unaltered state. Presenting the motifs in her own way, she crafted owls, birds, human figures and many other things out of these. Her artistic sense was the key in those works. At a later stage, various plant materials collected from nature were slightly transformed by the touch of her hand. In the new place, she gave new forms to the materials found in nature with creative thinking culminating to a height at which she had transformed living trees and vines to inanimate works.
Those two-dimensional works may be called living paintings rather than sculptures. But there was a continuation in all her works, which were products of own and unique style. She had 12 solo exhibitions. She also participated in some major joint exhibitions. Besides creating art, she was regular in social work. To the end of her life, she participated in protests against bigots and anti-liberation forces. In 2010, she was honored with the ‘Swadhinata Padak’ (Independence Award) in recognition of her works. She passed away on 6 March 2018 in Dhaka. [Hamiduzzaman Khan]
