Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition ends in Delhi, moving to Dhaka

A digital exhibition on Bangladesh's Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and India's Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, the first of its kind in the history, concluded in Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan today and is awaiting for moving to Bangladesh for display.

The "Bangabandhu Bapu Digital Exhibition", a story of Bangladesh and India showcasing the bond of blood, shared sacrifices that unite the two great nations, was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on December 17 during a virtual summit.

The exhibition, which dedicated to the lives of the two great leaders of the subcontinent, will move to Bangladesh "soon" for displaying in different locations of the country.

After Bangladesh, the exhibition will move to the United Nations for displaying and later it would culminate in Kolkata in 2022.

Cross-section of people including government officials, diplomats, teachers and journalists of both the countries visited the one and half months long exhibition to know the history of freedom for the two nations, two neighbours' bound by history, culture, language and food to name a few.

It is a journey of two extraordinary men who inspired and continue to instil millions in their own country and world over till date.

The exhibition was curated by Birad Rajaram Yajnik of Mahatma Gandhi Digital Museums with 21 walls of information and over 100 points of digital engagement.

Apart from displaying photographs and digital contents on different historic events of the two countries, historic quotes of the two great leaders were also exhibited on the walls in the hall.

One famous quote of Bangabandhu read: "My greatest strength is the love for my people. My greatest weakness is that I love them too much," and another historic quote of Mahatma Gandhi read: "My life is my message".

Key points of interest of the exhibition are a "meeting wall" that displays the only photo in the world that has both Bangabandhu and Bapu in one frame, a robotic signature of both the leaders and their favourite music.

Historical moments like Mahatma Gandhi's salt march, historic March 7, 1971 speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are another noteworthy installation.

The pain and suffering endured by the Indian and Bangladeshi people during the brutal use of force by General Dyer in Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 and the genocide perpetrated by the Pakistani army in 1971 were shown digitally.

The "genocide tunnel" shows the depiction, the experiences of the many Bangladeshis who brutally tortured in the hands of the Pakistani army in 1971 war of liberation. A number of photographs on the barbaric torture on Bangladeshi women by the Pakistani army during the country's War of Independence in 1971 were also put on display there.

Photographs of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on different historic events were also displayed digitally.

A Holographic Time Machine displayed historical photos with a timeline and provides a unique interface to the users to reference their time and lives.

Besides, the Triangle of Engagement provides a 360-degree view of the historic locations, a robotic signature of Bangabandhu and Bapu, and the favourite music of the two leaders was played in the background.

Curator of the exhibition told media recently that it (exhibition) speaks the language of today – that is a technology and provides a unique experience to the visitors.

"It would encourage the youth in emulating the inspiring values of the two great leaders, understand the sacrifices of the martyrs, and appreciate the spirit of freedom that we all enjoy today," he added.