Today is the birthday of noted painter, artist, puppeteer, television and radio programme director, producer and performer Mustafa Monwar. Director’s Guild, an organisation of television play directors in the country, will celebrate his birthday at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) today at 6:30pm. He is the founding president of the Director’s Guild.
The programme will be conducted by actor-director Afzal Hossain, and eminent dance artistes Shibly Mohammad and Shamim Ara Nipa, along with artistes from Nrityanchal will pay respect to Mustafa Monwar through dance performances. Renowned elocutionist Hasan Arif will recite, while Rabindra Sangeet exponent Laisa Ahmed Lisa will perform songs along with the artistes from Rabindra Sangeet Samillan Parishad.
Mustafa Monwar, a professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University (DU),  has created a tremendous impact through his contributions towards the culture of Bangladesh and is perceived as an individual who provided that ray of light to brighten the cultural arena.
As the youngest of six siblings, Mustafa Monwar was born on this day in 1935 in Jessore and is the son of poet Golam Mustafa.   Mustafa Monwar was a lecturer at the East Pakistan College of Arts and Crafts and then took the position of director general of Bangladesh Television (BTV). He was also the director of Shilpakala Academy and National Media Institute and also held the position of managing director of FDC.
Through his master puppet skills, he brought new life to the refugee camps in West Bengal during the Liberation War to cheer up the refugees who fled for their lives from the conflict and provided joy in their lives. His puppet shows spread throughout and received immense popularity all over the nation.