�Muslin Night� inspires hope to revive long lost glory

Ignoring the bite of a winter evening under the open sky, everyone was gathered at the premises of legendary Ahsan Manzil of Old Dhaka to be a part of a captivating event titled ‘Muslin Night’ on Saturday. The show, as a part of ongoing month-long ‘Muslin Festival 2016’, was designed to remind the long lost glory of Muslin—once a prestigious heritage of Bengal which declined with the establishment of the East India Company’s monopoly over the trade of Bengal. After the battle of Palashi (1757), the trade of other European companies and traders belonging to other nationals practically came to a stop. Organised by Drik and Bangladesh National Museum, in partnership with Aarong and supported by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the event, especially ‘Muslin Night’, had become the talk of the town since it was announced to be held.
Saturday’s ‘Muslin Night’ kicked off with a series of speeches by Rashed Khan Menon, minister for civil aviation and tourism, Sayeed Khokon, mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation, Faizul Latif Chowdhury, director general of Bangladesh National Museum, Gowher Rizvi, foreign affairs adviser to the Prime Minister and Saiful Islam, CEO of Drik. Each and everyone appreciated the outstanding initiative and extended their support with the hope that Muslin can make a comeback as a trendy and popular designer’s choice once again.
Then, a laser-light visual presentation on the history of Muslin was displayed, which was followed by a dance-drama titled ‘Haowaay Indrojaal’ to show the rise and fall of Muslin. The dance-drama was presented by Lubna Marium and her dance troupe Shadhona, while it was scripted by Saymon Zakaria and directed by Sabbir Ahmed Khan.
Finally, a dazzling fashion show was held displaying current Jamdani styles and design, along with ‘future Muslin’, dresses made by 12 fashion designers from the UK, India and Bangladesh.
Earlier on February 5, a month-long ‘Muslin Festival 2016’ began at the Bangladesh National Museum in the city’s Shahbag area.
Muslin project is organised to investigate the potential of reviving Muslin production and explore how this sought for textile of the past can integrate with contemporary clothing designs. The festival focuses to tell the story of Bengal Muslin, the fabled fabric of Bengal, its unique history and contribution, through a series of events and activities. The festival’s aim is to recreate the story of this legendary textile that was used by Western and Mughal courts, raise awareness of its rich heritage and the distinctive impact it had upon the world in terms of textile artistry and global trade.
The festival has been designed with a range of activities throughout the month till March 3.  l

�Muslin Night� inspires hope to revive long lost glory

Ignoring the bite of a winter evening under the open sky, everyone was gathered at the premises of legendary Ahsan Manzil of Old Dhaka to be a part of a captivating event titled Muslin Night on Saturday. The show, as a part of ongoing month-long Muslin Festival 2016, was designed to remind the long lost glory of Muslinonce a prestigious heritage of Bengal which declined with the establishment of the East India Companys monopoly over the trade of Bengal. After the battle of Palashi (1757), the trade of other European companies and traders belonging to other nationals practically came to a stop. Organised by Drik and Bangladesh National Museum, in partnership with Aarong and supported by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the event, especially Muslin Night, had become the talk of the town since it was announced to be held. Saturdays Muslin Night kicked off with a series of speeches by Rashed Khan Menon, minister for civil aviation and tourism, Sayeed Khokon, mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation, Faizul Latif Chowdhury, director general of Bangladesh National Museum, Gowher Rizvi, foreign affairs adviser to the Prime Minister and Saiful Islam, CEO of Drik. Each and everyone appreciated the outstanding initiative and extended their support with the hope that Muslin can make a comeback as a trendy and popular designers choice once again. Then, a laser-light visual presentation on the history of Muslin was displayed, which was followed by a dance-drama titled Haowaay Indrojaal to show the rise and fall of Muslin. The dance-drama was presented by Lubna Marium and her dance troupe Shadhona, while it was scripted by Saymon Zakaria and directed by Sabbir Ahmed Khan. Finally, a dazzling fashion show was held displaying current Jamdani styles and design, along with future Muslin, dresses made by 12 fashion designers from the UK, India and Bangladesh. Earlier on February 5, a month-long Muslin Festival 2016 began at the Bangladesh National Museum in the citys Shahbag area. Muslin project is organised to investigate the potential of reviving Muslin production and explore how this sought for textile of the past can integrate with contemporary clothing designs. The festival focuses to tell the story of Bengal Muslin, the fabled fabric of Bengal, its unique history and contribution, through a series of events and activities. The festivals aim is to recreate the story of this legendary textile that was used by Western and Mughal courts, raise awareness of its rich heritage and the distinctive impact it had upon the world in terms of textile artistry and global trade. The festival has been designed with a range of activities throughout the month till March 3. l