Apurba Haider

Bengal Foundation, a private trust, began its journey in the late eighties. Abul Khair Litu, The Chairman’s personal regard for the arts coupled with his vision of projecting a culturally rich Bangladesh that will rise above the typical portraiture of a country steeped in flood and famine, led to Bengal Foundation’s initial sojourn. In the course of its work the Foundation has been abetted by an enlightened body of creative thinkers. After more than twenty years on the trail, Bengal Foundation’s work now encompasses almost all forms of visual and performing arts. Music and painting, however, remain its central concern. It is a matter of great pride that Bengal Foundation is possibly the only organization in the country that is wholly funded by the internal resources of a local business house, the Bengal Group. Whilst Bengal Group tries relentlessly to live up to its social commitment, Bengal Foundation continues to play a premium role in the cultural arena of Bangladesh. The Foundation has so far published over a hundred albums of a fine selection of Bengali music. There are monthly concerts, festivals, and workshops that keep the music circuit energized. Bengal Scholars can avail grants for higher training in art and music. The Bengal Foundation Award brings national level recognition to distinctive painters every two years. Bengal Bikash tops the list in ground-breaking work that brought many young talents to the fore in 2006. Bengal Foundation’s flagship publication Jamini, the first international arts quarterly in Bangladesh, and Kali O Kalam, a widely acclaimed Bengali literary magazine, continue to do well on their sixth year of publication and are credited with introducing new trends in the publishing domain. Each year Kali O Kalam honours new talent by issuing the coveted Tarun Sahitya Puraskar (Young Writer’s Award). I