Bangabandhu portrait with paddy, largest on Earth, to be made in Bogura

A portrait of Father of the National Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman using paddies is being created on around 100 bighas of the field in Sherpur upazila in Bogura.

The 400-metre-long and 300-metre-wide portrait will be made on 12,92,000 sq ft in Balenda village of Bhabanipur union of Sherpur, the largest of its kind in the world.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest grain painting was made in China in 2019, with an area of ​​8,55,786 square feet.

The organisers said the field trial of the portrait using two colours of paddy has already been completed and paddy seedlings will be planted according to the layout (design) on Friday.

The details of the initiative were shared through a press conference on Thursday evening where AFM Bahauddin Nasim, the convener of Bangabandhu Jatiya Parishad and joint general secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, presented the main article.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman sowed the seeds of agricultural-dependent development. His constant concern was for the people of this country. Because of Covid-19, we could not celebrate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation with due dignity, reads his written statement.

So, for the first time, we are going to make such a painting using the huge canvas of agriculture-oriented green Bengal, which will once again present the soil and the people to the world, that is, agriculture- and the farmer-friendly Bangabandhu. It would be a unique celebration of his birth centenary, he added.

Bangabandhu has fought for the right to food and cloth of the people and the just rights of the farmers all his life. For this reason, two colours of paddy – golden and purple – will be used for this artwork, he said.

He added that the task seemed easy at the beginning but in reality, it was not.

Although the work was planned in the middle of last year, we had to wait for the time for sowing paddy and planting seedlings, he said adding that the seedbeds are ready now.

Our team has already started the work of creating the layout with the help of 100 Bangladesh National Cadet Corps cadets. At each step of being plants from saplings, plants bearing grains and the ripening of the paddy, a unique portrait of the father of the nation will be made.

Meanwhile, proper communication has been made with Guinness authorities to set a new world record. The authorities have already received permission to use the Guinness Book of World Records logo and are working on their instructions.

Former agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, Awami League Agriculture and Cooperatives Secretary Faridunnahar Laili, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan and others were present on the occasion.