Urban Sketching Workshop: Appreciating heritage through art
The two-day sketch workshop, organised by Augustin Anjan Byapari, took place on 23 December and 7 January
At 10 AM, a group mostly composed of primary school going children, visited Mongolabash, a 19th century architectural relic in Sutrapur, well-known as the home of Mukti Khelaghor. Most of the children were visiting Mongolabash for the first time and were left awestruck by its grandeur, despite its dilapidation.
The beauty of the structure made live sketching it enjoyable and engaging. The children chose different spots and sketched away. The experience was intuitive. Drawing live objects calls for focus and a firm understanding of perspectives. Luckily, Augustin Anjan Byapari and other mentors were always there to guide the young ones.
An architect by profession, Anjan first started giving out urban sketching and perspective drawing lessons, to both children and adults, during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. These lessons eventually led to a two-day workshop on 23 December and 7 January. Participants roamed through historic sites in Old Dhaka and sketched what they saw.
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Initially producing unsure strokes, the sketches got better as they kept at it. Light on the subjects changed over time and the children were all mindful of that as well. They first took in what they saw, and through simple lines, they reproduced beautiful artworks.
Excitement was apparent in their expressions as they worked.
"What is urban sketching? It is when you sketch what you see around you in an urban setting. We wanted to include history and heritage in our sessions so that the new generation gets to learn about their history. That is why we chose Old Dhaka," said Anjan.
Next destination was Dhaka Kendra in Shyambazar. Participants took a tour back in time as they witnessed relics from the past displayed in Dhaka Kendra's miniature library. The group then rallied to Lal Kuthi in North Brook Hall with a 'Save the Heritage' banner. This part of the workshop was about raising awareness on how important it is to save these historic sites.
"There are subtle details in everyday objects that don't show up in photographs. But these details are crucial when sketching," said Anjan. Through this experience, he also wanted to show the children the beauty of these structures, something no amount of reading or history lessons could show them.
The day ended when the group took a walk through Rupchan Lane, where there are even more historic sites and buildings, the Mahfuzul Club for example. The children roughly sketched what they saw and later relied on their memory to fill in the details.
The second day of the workshop, two weeks later, began on a chilly winter morning at Bahadur Shah Park, Johnson Road, formerly known as Victoria Park among locals. The park has a memorial dedicated to the soldiers killed by the British in the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
People of all ages and professions joined. There were architects, teachers and students, journalists, musicians and so on.
Hrishikesh Saha, a fifth grader, was the first to show up, along with Anjan. Innaya Izma Nuha, a second grader, showed up next with her father. Anjan gifted Hrishikesh a sketch book. Hrishikesh sat down, contemplating the sheer height of the vault at the park. Then he began drawing.
One of Anjan's Buet seniors joined the session as well, and he brought with him his entire family. Even his mother-in-law joined when she heard they would be visiting historic sites.
Fatima Tabassum Mouri, an architecture graduate and one of Anjan's students from his art school, joined later with a friend.
"Anjan Da inspires confidence in us. Once we feel good enough about our drawing, we draw. His endeavour to document heritage sites is commendable both from the perspective of an architect and an artist," said Mouri.
Following a light breakfast, the group moved to St Thomas' Cathedral, right opposite to Bahadur Shah Park. From the church tower, to the entrance and the hall, they scattered inside the premises as each chose a spot they liked to sketch.
Their next destination was at Pogose School, right next to Jagannath University. An Armenian merchant built the school in 1848. A crew was also shooting a film there at the time they reached.
Day two ended with the group walking to Beauty Boarding. Shahid Qadri, a renowned poet and writer of post-1947 modern Bangla poetry, is said to have started literary gatherings there. Nirmalendu Goon stayed in Beauty Boarding for about five years and mentioned it prominently in his work.
