Manzoor Alam Beg

Alokchitracharjo Manzoor Alam Beg (1931–1998) was a pioneering Bangladeshi photographer, educator, organizer, and institution builder who played a foundational role in establishing photography as an art form and structured discipline in Bangladesh.

Manzoor Alam Beg was born on 1 October 1931 in Nawabganj, Malda district (then Bengal Presidency). He received his first formal training in photography at the Pakistan Air Force Technical Training Centre in Karachi in 1949. He later received specialized training in microfilming under UNESCO programmes and further training in document reproduction and colour photography in the United Kingdom, including courses at Hatfield College of Technology and the Kodak Photographic School, Harrow. He completed a diploma in photography from the British Institute of Reprographic Technology in 1976.

In 1960, he founded the Begart Institute of Photography, the first structured photography training institution in Bangladesh, which played a crucial role in developing generations of photographers in the country. He later founded the Bangladesh Photographic Society (BPS) in 1976 and served as one of the principal leaders of the photographic movement in Bangladesh.

Beg also contributed significantly to documentation and information sciences through his professional work at the United States Information Service (USIS), PANSDOC National Documentation Centre in Karachi, and the Bangladesh National Scientific and Technical Documentation Centre (BANSDOC), where he served for many years as a senior specialist.

He played a pioneering role in establishing photography clubs and organizations across the country, including the Camera Recreation Club, Chittagong Photographic Society, Rajshahi Photographic Society, and Dinajpur Photographic Society. Through these initiatives, he helped create the institutional foundation of photographic practice in Bangladesh.

Manzoor Alam Beg participated in numerous international seminars and served as a jury member in national and international photography competitions. He authored several important books on photography, including Adhunik Photography, Photography Digest, Rangin Photo Printing, and Darkroom Solution, which contributed significantly to photographic education in the region.

He received numerous national and international honours, including Hon. FPAD (India, 1982), Hon. FBPS (Bangladesh Photographic Society, 1983), and ESFIAP from the International Federation of Photographic Art in 1987. He was awarded the title Alokchitracharjo by the Bangladesh Photographic Society in recognition of his lifetime contribution to photography. He was also honoured by the United States Information Service (USIS) as “Celebrity” in 1995 and received recognition from Photographic Charcha at the Kolkata Book Fair in 1997.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to photography and photographic education, the Government of Bangladesh posthumously awarded him the Ekushey Padak in 2007.

Widely regarded as the father of fine-art photography movements in Bangladesh, Manzoor Alam Beg devoted his life to promoting photography as an artistic, educational, and institutional practice. He passed away on 26 July 1998, leaving behind a lasting legacy that continues to influence generations of photographers in Bangladesh and beyond.