Burned instruments, ash-covered walls, and twisted metal now define what remains of the central office of Bangladesh Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi.
On Tuesday, the organisation displayed the fire-damaged remains of its office outside the premises in Segunbagicha, turning destruction into a public exhibition. The fire, set by miscreants on December 19, destroyed what members say was the accumulated cultural memory of 57 years.
Inside the office, the smell of smoke still lingers. Guitars, tablas, dhols, khols, ektaras, amplifiers, chairs, tables, books, and files lie in heaps of blackened debris. Walls are stained with ash. Floors are layered with fragments of a long cultural journey.
The attack on Udichi came a day after miscreants attacked and set fire to the offices of Prothom Alo, The Daily Star, and Chhayanaut on December 18. Udichi’s central office was torched the following day.
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Members say the fire destroyed documents, rare books, stage costumes, props, awards, and archival materials dating back to the organisation’s founding 57 years ago.
As part of the exhibition, Udichi placed a symbolic sculpture of a bloodied bird with damaged wings, representing an attempt to silence free cultural expression. Organisers said the image reflects how violence is used to suppress art, dissent, and independent voices.
Among the most painful losses is a harmonium nearly 35 years old. Members say it once belonged to legendary music director Ajit Roy and was later used by Indian mass singer Ajit Pandey, singer Mousumi Bhowmik, music researcher Shubendu Maitra, and theatre activist Subha Prasad Nandi Majumdar. It was also played regularly by Udichi’s founding members.
The harmonium had been central to many historic performances. From the anti-autocracy movement of the 1990s to the mass uprising of 2024, Udichi artists used it in street performances, rallies, and cultural protests.
Another destroyed instrument is a khol, at least 40 years old. Members say it carried memories of four decades of seasonal festivals, political movements, and grassroots performances across the country.
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The fire also destroyed irreplaceable manuscripts. One of the most significant losses was a handwritten, unpublished novel by Udichi founder Satyen Sen, titled “Maha Bidroher Kahini.” It had been stored in a cupboard along with documents recording the organisation’s achievements, programmes, and struggles since its birth.
Nearly all of Udichi’s historical records were stored in that office, making the loss especially devastating.
Organisers say furniture can be replaced, and instruments can be bought again. But handwritten manuscripts, rare books, and historically used instruments—objects touched by generations of artists—cannot be recreated.
Walking through the ruins now feels like moving through a cultural graveyard. Every burned page and broken instrument carries the trace of voices that once sang, protested, and resisted.
