"Subodh please run away, time is not on your side. Humans have forgotten how to love." Image of art from the Subodh series. -Collected
Subodh is running away from city's one wall to another. But the present time is not suitable for him. That's the reason he wants to hide from everybody. Sometimes he found running with a cage in which a red glowing sun trapped; sometimes Subodh's sun becomes yellow in color. And in the last graffiti Subodh is found in jail.
The graffiti of 'Subodh' is becoming known figure day by day in our city and then it has gone viral on social media. Subodh means the rise of good sense. But the citizen of our country notice that good sense in human being is decreasing quickly. In our society Subodh is becoming the representative of poverty, selfishness, unemployment, sin, marginalized people and many more. The graffiti of Subodh started to appear a few month ago in Dhaka. The images of Subodh represent with many ominous warnings:
"Subodh please run away, time is not on your side. Humans have forgotten how to love." "Subodh, run; your luck's run out", " Subodh is in jail now, sin is dwelling in the heart of human" etc. Similar graffiti emerged in a number of other areas of Dhaka in the months that followed. People started to share the images on Facebook and so they soon seemed to be everywhere. But nobody has said who might be painting the images and why. The artwork is signed off with another enigmatic message: Hobe ki? (Will it happen?).
Many social media users like Facebook or Instagram users praise the figure of Subodh. They have found their rebellious hero in the form of Subodh. They have showed their love by changing their Facebook profile pictures as Subodh's graffiti picture.
One Facebook user writes in her wall, " Subodh is the figure of Bangladesh. He represents the present time of Bangladesh. He is the representative of good sense. He is the representative of other races and religions other than Muslim."
Another Facebook user writes, " Love for Subodh. I don't know who created this graffiti, maybe (we) will never know. Those who have grown up seeing Banksy's graffiti would surely appreciate the Subodh series. My love to the creator, whoever that may be."
Is there really any connectivity with the present situation of our country? It is the fact that our present situation is going beyond our expectation. The peacefulness is going far away. Poverty, unemployment, corruption, illicit or illegal relationship, racism are increasing day by day. Above all the political and economical crisis break through the country. The unknown artist of the Subodh series may be going through this present crisis. That may be the reason he took the initiative to do something for the society. He protests against the adverse situation and it is appraisable undoubtedly.
Many on social media are comparing the creator of the graffiti with Banksy, the famous (but anonymous) UK-based graffiti artist and political activist. The images were created using stencil graffiti and spray paint, a method well-known to Banksy. The "Subodh series" also features political messages.
However, Graffiti, street art, mural are the popular and essential elements for any protest. This is not the first time Dhaka has witnessed a spate of graffiti bearing a troubling but unexplained message.
In the period of 1990s, graffiti consisting of a single sentence was regularly seen in the Dhaka University campus area. The graffiti read: "Aijuddin is in pain." This term was becoming too much popular in the then time. Even in the present time we notice man are uttering the same word if they are in the mood of sadness. Then Aijuddin and now Subodh is the figure of protest and revolt against every worse situation of our life.
The writer is a sub-editor of The Asian Age
Latest News