Muktadir Shabab

My Journey in Art

In the shadow of losing my parents, I found a flicker of life in art. 5th grade brought desperation, failed grades, and cruel laughs—but with stubborn hands, I drew my first comic characters. Each stroke felt like stepping into another world, and without knowing, I had fallen in love with art. The road was lonely, home offered no support, and harsh words followed me—but my aunt’s unwavering faith became my secret strength.

I still remember the pain of being beaten for drawing while I tried to study, the heavy conditions placed on me just to score above 90. From fifth grade to higher secondary, I clung to the front row, desperate to hold onto my art, yet the world offered no support. Then, like a quiet light in the darkness, my teacher Roni Kumar Nath stepped in. With his belief in me, I discovered a new path—a way to nurture both my studies and my art, and finally, hope began to take root.

Amid my struggles, love quietly bloomed with Umme Kulum Arifa. She lifted me, kept me human, and became my unwritten story. Though she left—perhaps for ego or anger—I remain grateful for her brief light in my life.

When the world turned dim and I sank beneath my own silence, she came—Fabiha Ulfath Farabi—like dawn breaking through forgotten skies. I was hollow, worn, almost gone. She touched the dust of me and made it breathe again. Since 25 October 2025, every heartbeat hums her name— the girl who turned my collapse into a love story, the bird who taught me to rise while still trembling.

With my aunt’s support, I studied formally at Chittagong Shilpakala Academy, where Sadia Ma’am showed me new horizons. I’ve walked barefoot through streets, faced endless harassment, and been cheated—but I worked tirelessly, anywhere, anytime, for free. I’m not rich or famous yet, but I am a simple artist, writer, and filmmaker, fluent in stories even if budgets hold back my films. Teaching and creating are now my life. The system offers little support, so I push for change—and I ask you to join me in this fight, because giving up was never an option.

Education

I don’t waste time on long lectures. With my uncle’s guidance and my own grind, I scored GPA 4.86 in JSC, GPA 5 in SSC and 4.75 in HSC.

"He who does not know how to think cannot be an artist." – Muktadir

Inspirations

I’ve always been inspired by those wall painters—the ones who don’t get a proper education, who aren’t respected as artists, yet pour their hearts into every stroke. But the moment I stand in their shoes and try the work myself, I realize how challenging it really is. That’s when I understood something crucial: you don’t become an artist just by knowing how to draw. You have to carry art in your heart and pursue it through every circumstance.

When you do that, art returns to you in its purest form. Respect or recognition doesn’t matter at first—what matters is the pursuit, the passion. I don’t draw just for the sake of drawing; I draw because I love art. And the more I love it, the more I practice, the more it grows inside me. In that dedication, the respect and admiration come naturally. That’s my journey, my promise to myself, and my call to anyone who dares to chase their passion relentlessly.

Inspiro ❤️‍🩹

Recent Award