Qamrul Hassan

Qamrul Hassan was born on December 2, 1921, in Kolkata. Graduating from the Government School of Art in Calcutta, Hassan drew deep inspiration from the traditional Bengali scroll-painters (patuas), terracotta folk toys, and handloom fabrics, earning the affectionate title 'Potua'.

In 1971, during the Liberation War, Hassan drew the legendary anti-war protest caricature of Pakistani military dictator Yahya Khan titled Annibilate These Demons (Ei Janowarder Hotya Korte Hobe). Following independence, Hassan finalized the official proportions of Bangladesh's National Flag and designed the National Emblem (the golden Shapla water lily surrounded by rice sheaves and stars). On February 2, 1988, while chairing the National Poetry Festival, he sketched a biting caricature of dictator Ershad titled 'Deshpoti' moments before suffering a fatal heart attack.