It was not easy to portray Bangabandhu in graphic novel: Radwan Mujib

It was not an "easy task" to portray the life of the Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a graphic novel, his grandson Radwan Mujib Siddiq says.

They had to be “very cautious” about publishing the novel and Bangabandhu’s two daughters – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana – were the two “mentors” of the novel.

“They gave inputs in every aspect to make the art work look real,” Radwan, publisher of the novel, said at the launch of the first English version of the novel on Thursday at the ‘Dhaka Lit Fest’ on the premises of Bangla Academy.

For instance, he said, when the initial drawing was submitted, both of them pointed out a flaw in the hairstyle of their grandfather -Bangabandhu’s father.

On the inclusion of a fight scene where Bangabandhu was seen attacking a person to defend himself, the two daughters had difference of opinion.

Initially, both of the them were against including it in the series—but when "we told them that this inclusion might make this work more realistic before the youths, it was endorsed".

Radwan unveiled the English version along with Indian poet and child fictionist Jerry Pinto, cartoonist of the novel Syed Rashed Imam Tanmoy, UK-based magazine Granta online Editor Luke Neima, and ULAB teacher Arju Ismail.

He later described the background of the novel and the political history of Bangabnadhu.

Asked about the objective of this initiative, he said: “When I was schoolboy, I used to tell my friends about my grandfather (Bangabandhu). But they could not find anything that could tell about my grandfather in an easier way during the childhood."

He said during that period, there were graphic novels on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Indira Gandhi.

“I also used to think if there had been such a book on my grandfather too, I would have given that to my friends.

“But I was very little at that time. After a long time in 2011, I returned to my motherland. And then this thinking again came to my mind. There was no other way to uphold the stories of Bangabandhu to the children and youths."

He said he first told her mother Rehana) and aunt (Hasina) about it.

“They asked me to initiate the work.”

Under the supervision of the Centre for Research and Information (CRI), the first part of the graphic novel series in Bangla was launched on the 96th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation and the National Children's Day on Mar 17, 2015.

The second part was unveiled at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair on Feb 13 last year and the third part at the book fair in February 19 this year.

The entire ‘The Unfinished Memoirs’ by Bangabandhu, during his incarceration, would be presented in 12 parts of the graphic novel series.