There’s a book for everyone
Boi Mela is an open invitation to all. It’s not just a mere book fair, rather it’s a cultural phenomenon -- where people of all ages spend the day with their loved ones, hopping from one book stall to another.
17 February 2022
Dusty memoirs of history
Capital Press and Pioneer Press -- two names that carry significant historical value when it comes to the Language Movement.
17 February 2022
Day 2, book fair is already buzzing
There was no way to understand that it was just the second day of the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela yesterday. Not even a weekend afternoon, the
16 February 2022
Ain Parishad was there for the movement
On February 21, 1952, the protesters had two programmes to press home their demand for Bangla as a state language. One, the section 144 had to go, and two, taking a memorial plaque to the East Pakistan Ain Parishad.
16 February 2022
They don’t know what historic grounds they stand on
Becharam Dewri. The name itself comes with the fragrance of various kinds of biriyani, all of which taste different too.
15 February 2022
Boi Mela kicks off
The Amar Ekushey Boi Mela kicked off yesterday afternoon amid much fanfare.
15 February 2022
Boi mela begins today
The Amar Ekushey Boi Mela begins today with preparations still unfinished till yesterday afternoon.
14 February 2022
Gone are the days of thunder
Even before the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, Rasheed Building hosted the Suruj Jamal mess on its first floor. During the early days of the Language Movement, numerous organising activities were carried out from there.
14 February 2022
19 AZIMPUR: No trace remains of Tamaddun Majlish’s historic office
“When the Language Movement was still in its infancy, Principal Abul Kashem nurtured it with a mother’s care. We were inspired by his company, most of which was hosted by 19 Azimpur.”
13 February 2022
Of renewed hope and reconciliation
There’s a message floating in the air. Those who can read it know that spring is already here.
13 February 2022
Historic Beltala now water pump
Any discussion on the Language Movement cannot take place without mentioning Beltala. It lies right beside Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s Amtala, another historic site by its own right. It was at Beltala where the first public meeting on the movement took place.
12 February 2022
Gandaria: Grand area no more!
This is how the saying goes -- back in the days, a British traveler arrived in the area and was so blown away by all he saw, he exclaimed, “What a grand area!”
4 February 2022
To TSC in search of tea
Those who are regular listeners of contemporary Bangla music are familiar with a song that talks about roaming around the streets of the city in search of a cup of tea that comes in cheap.
4 February 2022
Ekushey book fair set to start from Feb 15
Bangla Academy has decided to hold this year’s Amar Ekushey Boi Mela from February 15, with the condition that all concerned with the fair will have to possess Covid-19 vaccine certificates.
31 January 2022
You got to taste it to believe it
Even though the way to Buddu’s Puri was shown by a flower seller sitting in front of Sutrapur’s Govinda Mandir, it was difficult to locate the vaunted puri shop inside the labyrinthine Hemanta Das Lane.
28 January 2022
History turning into rubble
Old Dhaka’s Paridas Road is starting to turn grey, not in the sense that it’s getting older by the day, but due to concrete slabs being erected all around.
28 January 2022
If you find a doctor, consider yourself lucky
The block lettered sign on the ochre yellow building reads “Nazirabazar Matri Sadan”. Right beside it, a large banner reads -- “24-hour normal delivery service for expecting mothers”.
25 January 2022
A 100-bed facility only on paper
Even when it’s afternoon, one can barely see anything inside. Many beds are worn-down, while others don’t have any covers.
24 January 2022
Mahanagar Hospital: Surgery dept closed for 6yrs, ICU inactive, 50% doctor posts vacant
The Dhaka Mahanagar General Hospital is located at Naya Bazar, near the Babubazar Bridge. Its outdoor department is always crowded with patients, many of whom go there for Covid vaccines these days.
23 January 2022
A haat, in Dhaka?
The word “haat” brings with it images of some rural setting. Banks of a river, a banyan tree, rows of traders selling their haul under it, that’s what a haat is, right?
21 January 2022