By: LakshmiPS
Syed Ahmed Hossain stopped receiving commercial art orders over a decade ago as no one was willing to pay for his works that once were very popular in the city of Dhaka.
Hossain is now one of the very few surviving rickshaw artists in the Bangladeshi capital.
Rickshaws, or pedal-driven tri-cycles that carry passengers on a for-hire basis, were first introduced in Bangladesh in the 1930s. Many of these rickshaws are colorfully decorated from their hood to spokes in typically different themes.
Each vehicle has a large tin plate set on its lower-back which features elaborate paintings. This craftsmanship is generally known as rickshaw art that has earned recognition from connoisseurs worldwide.
But the golden days of rickshaw art have been gone with the advent of digital technologies and the overflow of cabs.
Hossain still paints, but only for exhibitions aboard. He very often receives high-profile guests like US or European diplomats at his tiny studio in old Dhaka’s Hoseni Dalana area.
They make a special order for a collection of his artworks that keeps him busy these days and helps him earn his living.
“The situation of the rickshaw painting is not very good now. After the independence of Pakistan, there was a lot of work. Many richshaws arrived and their owners decorated them. They put watches, a radio … the trends were changing from time to time. Our art also changed. Before independence there was one style and after there came another,” Hossain said.
(Reuters)
