The name Bangabandhu conjures up two opposing images: one which has the look of a defiant leader in face of oppression unwilling to kowtow to evil forces and the other, the smiling visage of a compassionate man.
But for the 100-year celebration of Bangabandhu’s birthday, the smiling image has been chosen.
The picture was chosen by Bangabandhu’s daughter prime minister Sheikh Hasina, said artist Sabyasachi Hazra.
In making the logo for Bangabandhu’s centenary, he faced many challenges and talked to Bangla Tribune about taking up a task that would require all his artistic ingenuity.
As he says, “The biggest challenge was to bring about the look of unvarnished happiness; I was given a photo of Bangabandhu in which he was seen smiling spontaneously and looking to one side. Since the resolution was low, I had to work with every line of the image.”
"I added colour gradation and used blocks to make fonts and it took a week to create that spontaneous smile," he added.
According to him, making a logo is difficult because there are technical aspects since it will be used from large to small surfaces like coat pins etc.
I did not see 71 or 75 but this appeared to me a chance to pay respect to Bangabandhu. One has to be very careful in using the tone of black because too much of it can indicate mourning and not celebration.
"Emotion played a major role in my work and I gave my best in creating something which makes me proud," said Hazra.