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Created: 19 February 2025

Golam Mustafa was a versatile actor who left an indelible mark across radio, television, theater, and film. Today marks the 18th anniversary of his passing. He departed from the world stage on February 20, 2003, but his legacy in Bangladeshi entertainment endures.

Born on March 2, 1935, in Pirojpur Mahakuma, Barisal district, Golam Mustafa moved to Dhaka in the mid-1950s. There, he fell in love with renowned radio actress Hosne Ara, whom he married in 1958. In his personal life, he was a devoted father to two daughters, the eldest being Suborna Mustafa, a nationally acclaimed actress.

His journey into the performing arts began in 1945 when he acted in the play Pallimangal, written by B.D. Habibullah, at the Ashwini Kumar Town Hall in Barisal. That same year, he recited Kazi Nazrul Islam’s poem Oi Naam at an event at Barisal District School, capturing the audience’s attention with his powerful voice and delivery.

After relocating to Dhaka, Golam Mustafa delved into theater before making his film debut in the documentary Ek Akar Zamin. His first feature film, Rajdhanir Buke, directed by Ehtesham, paved the way for a prolific career in cinema. He played a variety of roles, including lead, supporting, and antagonistic characters, showcasing his remarkable range as an actor.

Over the years, he appeared in nearly 300 films in both Bengali and Urdu. Some of his most notable performances include roles in Seemana Periye, Titas Ekti Nadir Naam, Padma Nadir Majhi, Emiler Gobna Bahini, Shuvoda, Shrawan Megher Din, Dhireh Bahe Meghna, Chandranath, and Devdas. He also acted in numerous television commercials.

While Golam Mustafa excelled in various roles, he was particularly celebrated for his performances as a villain. His portrayal of an alcoholic landlord in Harano Din (1961) remains one of his most memorable roles.

His immense contribution to cinema was recognized with multiple accolades. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in Emiler Detective Force (1980) and Shuvoda (1986). In honor of his contributions, he was awarded the prestigious Ekushey Padak in 2001. Additionally, he received the Bachsas Award for his outstanding performances.

Since his passing in 2003, the Bangladesh Awrit Samannya Parishad has commemorated his legacy by celebrating 'Golam Mustafa’s Memory and the First Hour of Ekushey' every year, ensuring that his remarkable contributions to Bangladeshi culture are never forgotten.

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Created: 19 February 2025

PINNAWALA, Sri Lanka, Feb 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka's main elephant orphanage marked its 50th anniversary Sunday with a fruit feast for the 68 jumbos at the showpiece centre, reputedly the world's first care home for destitute pachyderms.

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage lavished pineapples, bananas, melons and cucumbers on its residents to celebrate the anniversary of their home, which is a major tourist attraction.

A few officials and tourists invited to the low-key celebration were served milk rice and traditional sweets while four generations of elephants born in captivity frolicked in the nearby Maha Oya river.

"The first birth at this orphanage was in 1984, and since then there have been a total of 76," said chief curator Sanjaya Ratnayake, as the elephants returned from their daily river bath.

"This has been a successful breeding programme, and today we have four generations of elephants here, with the youngest 18 months old and the oldest 70 years," he told AFP.

The orphanage recorded its first twin birth in August 2021 -- a rarity among Asian elephants -- and both calves are doing well.

Two years before the orphanage was formally established as a government institution in February 1975, five orphaned elephants were cared for at a smaller facility in the southern resort town of Bentota.

"Since the orphanage was set up at Pinnawala in 1975, in a coconut grove, the animals have had more space to roam, with good weather and plenty of food available in the surrounding area," Ratnayake said.

The home requires 14,500 kilos of coconut and palm tree leaves, along with other foliage, to satisfy the elephants' voracious appetites.

It also buys tonnes of fruit and milk for the younger calves, who are adored by the foreign and local visitors to the orphanage, located about 90 kilometres (56 miles) east of the capital Colombo.

It is also a major revenue generator for the state, earning millions of dollars a year in entrance fees. Visitors can watch the elephants from a distance or get up close and help scrub them during bath times.

- Tragic toll -

The facility lacked running water and electricity at its inception but things improved as it gained international fame in subsequent years, said retired senior mahout K.G. Sumanabanda, 65.

"I was also fortunate to be present when we had the first birth in captivity," Sumanabanda told AFP, visiting the home for the jubilee celebrations.

During his career spanning over three decades as a traditional elephant keeper, he trained more than 60 other mahouts and is still consulted by temples and individuals who own domesticated elephants.

Twenty years ago, Sri Lankan authorities opened another elephant home in the south of the island to care for orphaned, abandoned or injured elephants and later return them back to the wild.

While Pinnawala is seen by many as a success, Sri Lanka is also facing a major human-elephant conflict in areas bordering traditional wildlife sanctuaries.

Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody told AFP on Sunday that 450 elephants and 150 people were killed in clashes in 2023, continuing an alarming trend of fatalities in the human-elephant conflict. The previous year saw 433 elephants and 145 people killed.

Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants and where jumbos are considered a national treasure, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture.

But the massacre continues as desperate farmers face the brunt of elephants raiding their crops and destroying livelihoods.

The minister was confident the new government could tackle the problem by preventing elephants from crossing into villages.

"We are planning to introduce multiple barriers -- these may include electric fences, trenches, or other deterrents -- to make it more difficult for wild elephants to stray into villages," Jayakody told AFP.

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Created: 17 April 2024