The City of Joy is paying a long-overdue homage to one of its greatest forgotten heroes with HARAF — a landmark exhibition celebrating the legacy of Sri Panchanan Karmakar, the man who gave Bengal its first printed script. Launched on April 10 at the majestic Khelat Bhavan in Pathuriaghata, HARAF unveiled, for the first time ever, priceless relics and heirlooms from the private collection of the Karmakar (Mullick) family. This exhibition illuminated Karmakar’s ground-breaking work and profound influence on Indian print history. Priyanka Mullick, the great-granddaughter of Sri Panchanan Karmakar, launched the exhibition, which will be on till the 15th of this month, from 10.30 am to 5.30 pm, together with Kounteya Sinha and Oiendrila Ray Kapur of KOI Worldwide in the esteemed presence of Muzaffar and Meera Ali – Padma Shri, iconic director ,and the Nawab of Kotwara; Shaunak Sen – Oscar nominated Director, BAFTA, CANNES AND SUNDANCE winner; Sudeep Chatterjee – Two time National Award winning Bollywood’s greatest Cinematographer; Bickram Ghosh – Four Time Grammy Nominee composer; Plabita Barthakur – Actress; Ritwik Bhowmik – Actor; Hanu Raghavapudi – Reknowned Telugu director; Geeta Chandran – Iconic dancer, Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Academy awardee; Ekavali Khanna – Award winning Actress; Professor Jayanta Sengupta – Director of The Alipore Museum; His Excellency Maxim V Kozlov – The Consul General of Russia; Soumik Sen – Multi-award winning Director of films like gulaab gang; Sauraseni Maitra, actor; Barnali Chattopadhyay – The Voice of Heeramandi, Rajiv Chandran – United Nations and Giridhari Saha, chairman, Serampore Municipality.
Under the mentorship of English Orientalist Charles Wilkins, Panchanan Karmakar created the first-ever Bengali typefaces, a revolutionary act that led to the printing of The Grammar of the Bengal Language — the very first grammar book in Bengali printed in 1778. His innovation didn’t stop there. Karmakar’s genius laid the foundation for the printing of Indian regional languages, with his craftsmanship extending to Devanagari, Odia, Tamil, and beyond. His pioneering work was instrumental in ushering in the age of radical printing in India, including the print of the first Bengali newspaper in 1818 – Samachar Darpan. Though his life was tragically cut short, Karmakar’s legacy endured — carried forward by his brother Gadadhar Karmakar and son-in-law Manohar Karmakar.
Curated and co-presented by Kolkata’s celebrated cultural duo Kounteya Sinha and Oiendrila Ray Kapur of KOI Worldwide, in association with Karmakar’s great granddaughter Priyanka Mullick, HARAF is a marquee celebration in the city’s cultural calendar. The exhibition honors the artistic prowess of Karmakar’s typographic contributions, and reignited conversations around Bengal’s pivotal place in India’s linguistic and print revolution.
“For me, HARAF is deeply personal — it is both a celebration and a tribute to two of the most influential figures in my life: my great-grandfather, Sri Panchanan Karmakar, and my father, Mr. Biman Mullick. Without my father’s tireless dedication to preserving this legacy, this exhibition would never have seen the light of day. For generations, our family quietly carried this incredible history and now, through HARAF, we finally bring it into the public eye. My great-grandfather’s pioneering work shaped the history of printing in Bengal and much beyond. This is our humble effort to honour his memory and ensure his story is never forgotten,” said Priyanka Mullick, great-granddaughter of Sri Panchanan Karmakar.
The grand opening saw a convergence of prominent voices from across India — luminaries from film, art, literature, and heritage, all gathering to commemorate a man whose name deserves a permanent place in the annals of Indian history.
