The room was quiet and all 10 participants, aged between nine and 60, were engrossed in their work. They were each given a template and their task was to draw the design given, and later paint it. The paint brushes, the vibrant colours of neon yellow, vermillion red, emerald green, and cobalt blue along with design templates of a shapla, a bird, a tiger, and "alpona" gave the room a festive look.

It was the first-ever rickshaw art workshop organised by Protibha, a social enterprise dedicated to preserving traditional art forms. Its parent organisation, local NGO called "It's Humanity Foundation (IHF)", works on empowering both children and their families through education, vocational training, and livelihood development in marginalised communities.

"Protibha has been actively involved in promoting rickshaw art and artists in Bangladesh since 2016. To pass on this valuable skill to future generations, Protibha recently organised a unique two-hour workshop on March 2 in two batches. The workshop was led by experienced artists, Md Khokon and Md Simon, each with 15 years' experience in rickshaw art," says Maisha Lubaba, General Secretary of IHF and Chief Executive Officer of Protibha.

Photos: Protibha

The success of this pilot workshop was immensely impressive and they are deciding to organise another one on March 9.

"I came across their post on Instagram and instantly signed up, I am an amateur artist and always wanted to work with rickshaw art. The colours attract me," said one participant, while others said it felt it was like a therapy session.

To support rickshaw artists and ensure the preservation of this special art form, Protibha has been collaborating with the artists to transform their artwork into various everyday items, to promote a strong sense of community identity and cultural heritage.

"Rickshaw art is very popular within our expatriate community. They always want to carry a part of Bangladesh with them when they leave, we have instances where we did customise rickshaw art on skateboards, bicycles, containers and so many different items for them," says Md Adnan Hossain, founder and executive director of IHF.

Photos: Protibha

"By engaging younger generations in workshops and training programmes, we can ensure that these art forms are carried forward and appreciated for years to come. Furthermore, these efforts can inspire participants to think creatively and innovate within their artistic pursuits."

The future sessions will be day-long and also be divided into levels. Chief artist, Rafikul Islam, with 35 years of experience, will coach the third level, which will be all about speciality skill development.

Dhaka has few facilities for young people and seniors to engage in recreational activities

In Dhaka, there's only a few recreational activities with fun, interesting projects for young people and seniors to be engaged in. This workshop comes at a time when people feel the need to make their leisure time more interesting and enjoyable.

Art, drawing, painting, pottery-making -- such activities can refresh the body and mind. Thus, Protibha rickshaw art workshop comes at an opportune time.