Century long legacy of DU’s Arts Faculty

For generations of students, Arts Building (Kala Bhaban) building is more than a cluster of classrooms; it is a living archive of Bangladesh’s soul. However, the story of Kala Bhaban is not linear. It is a tale of transition from the colonial “Red House” to the modernist corridors of freedom.

When Dhaka University opened its doors on July 1, 1921, the heartbeat of the Arts Faculty resided in what is now the administrative building of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. This Victorian-style red-brick edifice was the original “Kala Bhaban.”

Its high-ceilinged corridors once echoed with the footsteps of legends like Satyendranath Bose and Gyan Chandra Ghosh.

More importantly, the old building was the cradle of Bengali defiance. The historic “Amtala,” situated adjacent to this structure, witnessed the brewing storms of the 1952 Language Movement. It was here that students decided to break Section 144, an act of courage that eventually birthed a nation.

Modernity and the Vision of Muzharul Islam

By the early 1960s, the need for a dedicated space led to the construction of the current Arts Building in the Nilkhet area. Designed by the pioneer of modern architecture in Bangladesh, Muzharul Islam, alongside A.S.M. Ismail, the building broke away from colonial gravity.

Unlike the enclosed British structures, the new Kala Bhaban was designed to be porous-embracing light and air. Its signature louvers and vast corridors were not just architectural flourishes but symbols of an open, liberal mind.

By the 1963-64 academic session, the faculty had fully migrated here, transforming the building into a hub for intellectual giants like Professor Abdur Razzak and Ahmad Sharif.

If the old building saw the birth of the language consciousness, the new Kala Bhaban saw the birth of the flag. On March 2, 1971, the first map-emblasoned flag of an independent Bangladesh was hoisted at the Bottala (banyan tree) in front of this building.

“Walking through these corridors means carrying the inheritance of a century of struggle,” says Azgarul Islam, a researcher of university history. “The louvered shadows here aren’t just patterns; they are the backdrop of our independence.”