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An exceptional exhibition, displaying samples of the traditional boats of Bangladesh, is being held at the Nalinikanta Bhatta Exhibition Hall of the Bangladesh National Museum. The exhibition, inaugurated on March 19, will remain open from 11:00am to 4:30pm till April 6.
   A non-government organisation, Friendship, working on health care in rural areas, has organised the exhibition.
   Bangladesh is being considered as one of the largest river basins in the world. There are many different kinds of boats, depending on the rivers they ply on. The boats are mainly divided in three groups, fishing boats, cargo boats and passenger boats.
   Besides the indigenous styles, the boat-makers have also been influenced by foreign styles. The Arabian influence can be noticed on the beautiful sampan. Arabian and European influences can be seen on the fishing boats and cargo boats.
   Among the boats displayed in the exhibition, bala, from Kushtia, measuring from sixty to eighty feet, malar, measuring from seventy to hundred feet, for carrying goods weighing about one hundred and thirty tons, kusa, with a twenty to thirty feet flat bottom, used for short distances, pansi, from forty to sixty five feet long, from Pabna, able to carry about sixteen tons and sampans with triangle sails, from Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar.
   Baich, used for boat racing, measuring one hundred to one hundred and thirty feet, from Kushtia and Pabna, is also on display.
   Horonga, measuring forty to eighty feet in length, is from Sirajganj and Sylhet and the thirty feet long sadhi which plies on the river Jamuna, are all being exhibited at the show.
   The common boat dingi, which is widely used for short distances across the country, is also in the exhibition.
   According to the organisers there are more than forty types of boats which used to exist in this region since time immemorial. ‘Many of them have died out and many of them are on the way of extinction, because of the shrinking of the rivers and development of roadways,’ they added.
   The organisers have plans of displaying the samples of all kinds of boats existing in the country. Twenty-one types of boats are on display of the one hundred and twenty three documented. The boats are also on sale ranging from Taka 6,600 to 18,900.

New Age senior staff photojournalist Abu Taher Khokon has won the bronze medal in the category ‘Flood Victim Children’ from China International Press Photo Contest 2005, for his entry, ‘Flood in Bangladesh, 2004”. China International Press Photo Contest is organised by Photojournalist’s Society of China (CPS).
   The photo story was about the suffering of the people during the flood of 2004. Most of the images were taken in Dhaka and Bogra.

A painting by the French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, valued at about 200,000 euros (260,000 dollars), has been stolen from the famous auction house Tajan in Paris, police said.
   The auction house informed the police of the missing painting on Tuesday.
   The theft of the artwork, entitled ‘Tete de fillette’ (Head of a little girl), happened while it was displayed in a room of the auction house and not by breaking and entering the premises as police first reported.
   Police did not indicate what day the painting disappeared only saying that it was recently.
   The painting, which belongs to a lawyer, was supposed to be sold on Thursday in Paris. — AFP

M Craft has organised a city wide display and sale of Baishakhi saris in all their showrooms, in Uttara, Dhanmandi, Gulshan and on Baily Road, from April 1 to April 14.
   With special focus on the traditional Baishakhi colours, red and white, other vibrant colours, like bright orange, green, yellow, black and gold have been used in an array of different textures.
   To make the saris attractive the designers have embellished them with karchupi, sequins, hand embroidery, hand painting, dollar, glass work, batik, block printing and spray painting.
   Mainuddin, on behalf of M Craft said that with Pahela Baishakh in mind, they have used a wide variety of local hand-woven cotton saris for the special occasion.

Ampata Jora Jora, a comedy, written and directed by Rezanur Rahman is now available on VCD.
   Tania Ahmed, Ahmed Rubel, Mohammad Bari, Parvin Mahbuba, Ashraf Kabir, Chandan Reza are among the cast.
   In the story, Hasi, a mentally deranged girl, gets married to a son of the Mandal family after giving a handsome amount in dowry. On the other hand, Bilkis, a girl of the Mandal family falls in love with her neighbour but Bilkis’ cousin Delwar wants to marry Bilkis, and take her as his fourth wife. The story proceeds with some more interesting incidents.
   Moyeen Khan Rupee has edited the drama with technical help from Swapna. MA Soud Dulu has worked behind the camera and Jaglul Alam has composed the background music. The drama is being produced by Impress Telefilm.

BTV will air Ananda Jhorna, a fortnightly talk show at 10:30pm tonight. The event is planned, scripted and moderated by Professor Shaheda Obayed.
   Today’s event focuses on meditation. Well-known journalist, Mobaydur Rahman and Professor AHM Firoz, director of the National Institute of Mental Health will be present and speak on the subject.
   The event is produced by Abdul Halim.

Tennis aces Serena and Venus Williams are to star in a new US television reality show which will follow the off-court lives of the famous sisters known to millions of fans around the world.
   ABC Family has started production on the show and it said in a statement that it will premiere the program with six episodes in July of this year.
   ‘The series premiering July 2005 will take an in-depth and off-court look at the fascinating, successful lives of professional tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, focusing on their passions outside of tennis and time spent with family and friends,’ the network said.
   The show’s name is currently untitled. – AFP

This modern-day whodunit boasts of an ensemble cast that ratchets up the suspense to terrifying heights. It is a dark and stormy night, replete with thunder, lightning and howling wind. Ten people have no choice but to get off the road and seek refuge at a motel in a small town. The motel's owner manages to shelter them all -- chauffeur Ed (Cusack), his passenger Caroline (Rebecca De Mornay), Paris the prostitute (Peet, The Whole Ten Yards), cop Rhodes (Liotta) and his criminal-in-chains Robert (Jake Busey), family man George, his wife Alice, their son, and young couple Lou and Ginny (Clea DuVall. Carnivale). One by one, the strangers find themselves the prey of an unknown killer who seeks to murder them all before the night is through. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone is a victim.
   Identity
   HBO
   9:30pm
   Starring
   John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall
   Genre
   Action/Adventure