Artist and researcher Sabyasachi Hazra has depicted the evolution of Bengali alphabet and printing equipment in his solo exhibition titled ‘Primer to Press’ under way at the Alliance Française de Dhaka in Dhanmondi, Dhaka.

‘The exhibition attempts to display the hundred-year journey of Bangla primers from 1849 to 1948. The Bengali mass people learn the alphabet, language and more by reading these books. I have also tried to show the techniques, artistic efforts and hard work needed to print these primers,’ said Sabyasachi Hazra who also edited a book titled “Bornomala: Bangla Alphabet Book Collection”, which was launched at the exhibition.

‘This book shows not only Bengali alphabet but also the economy, cultures, socio-political situation and printing techniques of that era. Renowned writers and artists worked together to spread the light of education. Madanmohan Tarkalankar, Abanindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore, Sukumar Ray and others contributed to Bangla primers, ‘ended Sabyasachi Hazra.

The exhibition is displaying original images of eight Bengali primers titled ‘Shishushikkha’ by Madanmohan Tarkalankar, ‘Barnaparichay’ by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, ‘Balyashiksha’ by Ram Sundar Basak, ‘Adarshalipi’ by Sitanath Basak, ‘Chitrakhar’ by Abanindranath Tagore, “Hasi Khusi” by Jogindranath Sarkar, “Chitrakshar” by Abanindranath Tagore, ‘Sahaj Path’ by Rabindranath Tagore and ‘Hate Khori’ written by Bimal Chandra Ghosh.

The exhibition also presents the artistic journey of Bangla primers through visuals and illustrations showcasing the diverse artistic styles employed by different primers.

Besides, Sabyasachi Hazra, a Dhaka University fine arts faculty alumni, has depicted the journey of printing techniques, from wooden blocks to letterpress, in the exhibition.

He displayed wooden block letters, lithographs, and metal blocks used for printing books in the colonial era at the event, which also features a live demonstration of letterpress printing technique.

The exhibition, which was inaugurated on May 3, will end on May 18.