The 15-day long Sultan Mela has been inaugurated in Narail on Monday (April 15) afternoon. The fair started on the occasion of the 99th birth anniversary of eminent painter SM Sultan at Sultan Manch, Narail organized by the district administration and Sultan Foundation. Deputy Commissioner and President of Sultan Foundation Mohammad Ashfakul Haque Chowdhury inaugurated the fair. Among others the inaugural session was addressed by Superintendent of Police Md. Mehedi Hasan, Narail Government Victoria College Principal Khan Shahabuddin, District Awami League General Secretary Nizam Uddin Khan Nilu, Narail Municipality Mayor Anjuman Ara, SM Sultan Foundation Member Secretary Ashikur Rahman Miku Freedom Fighter Saifur Rahman Hilu, President of Narail Chamber of Commerce Hasanuzzaman, President of Combined Cultural Alliance Narail Malay Kundu and General Secretary Sharful Alam Litu. At that time, people from various classes and professions including public and private institutions, social and cultural organizations were present.
Various events in this fair including art exhibition with participation of painters, children's painting competition, rural sports stick games, kabaddi, wrestling, volleyball, chariot racing, archery, bull fighting, cultural programs and seminars on artist's working life will be held. This time, 50 local cultural organizations will perform dance, poetry recitation, music and drama, Jatrapala, Kabigan and Zarigan along with Lalon Academy of Kushtia and the famous band Jagara Gan music. For the entertainment of the folk tradition children, hundreds of stalls have been arranged in the fair premises with various types of swings, toy trains-boats, carpentry, pottery, woodwork, cloth, bangles-ribbons, various types of pita-puli and local food.Like every year, this year too, the Sultan Gold Medal will be awarded to a talented painter by the joint decision of Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts and Fine Arts Institute of Dhaka University. But it is not yet determined.
This distinguished artist was born on August 10, 1924 in Machimdia, Narail city. He breathed his last on October 10, 1994 in Jessore Combined Military Hospital. Artist Sultan is lying in eternal sleep in the museum premises in the Kurigram area of Narail, his beloved homeland. In appreciation of painting, SM Sultan received the Ekushey Padak in 1982, the Independence Medal in 1993, the Resident Artist recognition in 1984, the 'Man of the Year' award from Cambridge University in 1986, the 'Man of Achievement' award from the Biographical Center in New York and the Asia Award in 1986. He died on 10 October 1994.
