Bangladesh鈥檚 cycle rickshaws bloom with bespoke designs. But for how much longer?
| Dhaka, Bangladesh
If any scene captures the feeling of a visit to the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, it鈥檚 the thousands聽of cycle rickshaws rolling down the city鈥檚 thoroughfares. Decorated with pictures of bright聽flowers, birds, historic scenes, and movie stars, rickshaws don鈥檛 just get Bangladeshis from聽point A to point B. They also are part of the country鈥檚 urban folk art, and they define the mood聽of this dizzying and chaotic city.
But the art form is in danger of fading away. Panels that were once painted by hand to adorn聽the backs and sides of the three-wheeled human-powered vehicles are now printed by machine.聽Rickshaw drivers wanting to personalize their bikes are turning to digital art, which is cheaper聽and faster than commissioning an artist to create the pictures.聽That鈥檚 why UNESCO, in December,聽designated rickshaws 鈥� which are increasingly being replaced by motorized versions 鈥� and their聽decorative paintings as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Syed Ahmed Hossain has been a rickshaw artist since 1969. His work has become so well known聽that he has presented it in exhibitions from Britain to Japan. He says he has even hosted ambassadors at聽his home, off a side alley in the heart of Dhaka. But聽he finds little market for rickshaw decorating today.
Instead, he paints tin panels 鈥� as he is in the photo聽at bottom right 鈥� that he sells as artwork. This writer聽and photographer both purchased small panels 鈥� the聽perfect memento of any trip to Bangladesh.
Why We Wrote This
Hand-painted cycle rickshaws have long characterized the dizzying Bangladeshi city of Dhaka. Now this urban folk art form is giving way to digitization.
