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Dowel Biswas

Dowel is always thinking about a million things at once and writes to make sense of it all. Feel free to send her your thoughts at ddowelbiswas@gmail.com

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Fifty years without Zainul Abedin / The artist who documented collapse and endurance

28 May 2026, 09:01 AM
Fifty years after he died in 1976, Zainul Abedin no longer exists as a living presence. What remains is a body of work that has hardened into history, layer by layer: famine sketches, rural labour scenes, scrolls of catastrophe, and figures that still appear to look back at us with unsettling calm.
28 May 2026, 09:01 AM
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Nazrul cannot be contained within a singular frame

25 May 2026, 09:00 AM
Nazrul’s “Rebel Poet” identity is too constrained to limit him within a single frame. Nazrul’s poetry moves, shifts beyond even its historical significance. They take rebirth, vertebrate, enter speech, then public conscience, and Nazrul returns as chant—becoming the primary language of people’s struggle for rights, carrying an unyielding spirit in every movement when people most need him.
25 May 2026, 09:00 AM
Gems of Nazrul launches nationwide talent hunt

Gems of Nazrul launches nationwide talent hunt

19 May 2026, 17:27 PM
Organisers described the programme as the country’s first nationwide reality-show-style competition dedicated exclusively to Nazrul Sangeet.
19 May 2026, 17:27 PM
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Rabindra Jayanti special / A deeper absence: Beyond the rituals of Rabindranath

8 May 2026, 00:05 AM
It is easier to preserve the grand aesthetics of Tagore than to confront the difficult ones. Rabindra Sangeet survives in carefully rehearsed cadence, quotations circulate endlessly online, and institutions commemorate him with ritual precision.
8 May 2026, 00:05 AM
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May Day special / When music remembers the worker

1 May 2026, 08:15 AM
In Bangladesh, labour history is often narrated as chronology—laws, uprisings, collapses, reforms. From the 1881 Factories Act to Swadeshi in 1905, through 1971 and beyond, the working class appears in political history. But rarely does it appear as a cultural system that sustains its own memory.
1 May 2026, 08:15 AM
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Nasir Ali Mamun’s stellar portrait exhibition closes at Bangla Academy

30 April 2026, 16:00 PM
The exhibition, which opened on April 14 at the Nazrul Stage and continued at Bardhaman House, featured more than a hundred portraits of prominent Bangladeshi poets, writers, essayists, and intellectuals. It also included rare photographs of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.
30 April 2026, 16:00 PM
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From The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to The Jonas Brothers: Nadeem collabs internationally

26 April 2026, 18:11 PM
Nadeem A Salam still remembers the first time he stood on stage with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus—not as a manager, but as a performer. He had already spent years behind the scenes—moving gear, fixing schedules, dealing with travel delays, keeping tours running—but standing there felt different.
26 April 2026, 18:11 PM
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Baishakh celebrations regain fervour

15 April 2026, 02:42 AM
As dawn broke over Ramna Batamul yesterday, Chhayanaut’s chorus of 200 performers lifted “Jago alok‑logone” into the morning air, opening the celebration of Pahela Baishakh 1433.
15 April 2026, 02:42 AM
Oli Louis: The Nigerian man who fell in love with Bangla music

Oli Louis: The Nigerian man who fell in love with Bangla music

His rendition of "Shada Shada Kala Kala" marked a turning point, garnering widespread acclaim and affirming his belief that Bangladeshis would embrace him as one of their own if he pursued Bangla music wholeheartedly.
17 April 2024, 18:09 PM
Charlie Chaplin

Happy 135th Birthday, Mr Chaplin!

Despite the advent of sound in cinema, Chaplin remained true to his silent roots, continuing to produce silent films even as talkies gained popularity. Films like "City Lights", "The Gold Rush", and "Modern Times" are timeless classics that showcase Chaplin's unmatched ability to entertain and inspire.
16 April 2024, 13:27 PM
pahela baishakh, pahela baishakh celebration, pahela baishakh celebraion in Bangladesh, pahela baishakh 1431, Pahela Baishakh being celebrated across Bangladesh, first day of Bengali New Year, Bengali New Year-1431, Nobo Borsho, Pahela Baishakh festival,

Songs of Pahela Baishakh

The soul-stirring melodies of Bangla songs resonate with the essence of the largely agrarian Bangalee people, weaving tales of joy, hope, aspiration, and the story of our journey as a nation.
14 April 2024, 13:05 PM
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Bengal’s revolutionary journey through slogans

Whenever an oppressive force tried to forcefully take their land and rice, the people of this country conjured up such resistance that even the strongest of forces had to retreat.
26 March 2024, 09:24 AM
Sadi Mohammad death

Must we wait for an artiste to pass away to give them their due respect?

As the country’s most loved artiste, Rabindra Sangeet legend Sadi Mohammad, took his own life on Wednesday (March 13), around 7pm, two discussions on this untimely death have resurfaced–clasps of depression and grief and the practice of conferring national awards to artistes posthumously.
14 March 2024, 12:38 PM
I went to my mother’s grave and cried: Shibli Mohammad on Ekushey Padak honour

I went to my mother’s grave and cried: Shibli Mohammad on Ekushey Padak honour

A trendsetter by his own merit and steadfast promoter of the inclusion of male classical dancers in Bangladesh, Shibli Mohammad is trained by one of the biggest names of classical dancing in South Asia, late Pandit Birju Maharaj, the father of Kathak dance.
11 March 2024, 02:51 AM
‘Water, light and hope’: A letter from the Jamuna char lands

‘Water, light and hope’: A letter from the Jamuna char lands

In a bid to create that bridge, Standard Chartered Bangladesh (SCB) and Friendship have jointly arranged a photo exhibition to give a glimpse of the people living in sedimentary islands (chars).
8 March 2024, 06:16 AM
Bappa Mazumder’s ‘Odyssey’ is a lesson on how to arrange concerts

Bappa Mazumder’s ‘Odyssey’ is a lesson on how to arrange concerts

Bappa Mazumder devoted his second solo concert to those of his fans who missed the first one, which took place on September 23, 2022. However, seeing hundreds of his fans, from toddlers to 60-year-olds, eagerly waiting for him to sing their favourite songs at the show, the question remains: will the audiences ever get enough of Bappa Mazumder and his songs? The answer is probably no.
24 February 2024, 10:45 AM
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Sajjad Hussain chronicles Anindya Chattopadhyay’s early years in ‘Anindyakal’

The book, exploring the obscured corners of the singer’s life before his rise to fame, has been unveiled at a programme held at the Bishwa Sahitya Kendra Auditorium in the capital on Monday evening.
20 February 2024, 12:12 PM
Unveiling the Rich Tapestry of Japanese Culture through Dolls

Unveiling the Rich Tapestry of Japanese Culture through Dolls

In the exhibition, the development and changes in the shape of the dolls are represented according to the important time periods of Japan. This can be seen through the shape of the dolls, from the traditional to the collector figure. Not only that, this exhibition also displays “Ningyo” forms and styles with characteristics from each region in Japan.
2 February 2024, 18:14 PM
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Prachyanat School to celebrate ‘Raktakarabi’s’ centenary with new production

Under the direction of Shawkat Hossain Sajib, the school will stage the play on Monday, January 29, at 7:00pm at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy's National Theatre Hall. Prachyanat, which is renowned for its socially and politically aware grand theatrical presentations, is going to stage the epic play as part of its biannual school productions.
26 January 2024, 07:16 AM
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Dr Israfeel Shaheen: A professor’s quest to promote unconventional theatre

Dr Israfeel Shaheen, a noted theatre director and professor at the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Dhaka, has many achievements in his bag as a prominent theatre personality who is taking Bangladesh’s folk, indigenous, and improvisational theatrics to the world’s stage. However, besides his commendable accomplishments, he always traces back to his roots and brings forth what we, as Bengalis have to offer centered on our rich cultural genesis and resourcefulness.
24 January 2024, 10:25 AM
Chinese New Year in Dhaka

A glimpse of Chinese New Year in Dhaka

The spring festival began with a captivating dance performance by a prominent Chinese Cultural organisation, the Song and Dance Ensemble of Yunnan Province. Performers created the Hani dance “Divine Bird Flapping Swings of China” at the event.
18 January 2024, 09:47 AM
Suchitra Sen

Suchitra Sen: How a girl from Pabna became South Asia’s biggest superstar

On her tenth death anniversary today, we remember Suchitra Sen, Bengal’s first female superstar, and a feminist in spirit, who took charge of her own fate and challenged the common norms that surround or define femininity.
17 January 2024, 12:06 PM
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‘Everything Is Nothing’ to compete at France’s Cineplay Int’l Film Fest

The short film has been selected to compete at the festival on January 5. After being declared as a finalist on Wednesday, it will be screened on January 15, informed Arafat Mohsin Nidhi, director of the production, to The Daily Star.
10 January 2024, 13:46 PM
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The melody of the polls: Sometimes genius, sometimes obnoxious

While every alleyway, street and locality has been adorned with posters, the most impressive promotion of this election is perhaps the innovative and catchy songs that are being played at political stalls, through mikes, moving vans and rickshaws.
4 January 2024, 18:05 PM
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Empowering Bangladeshi women: Mano a mano with Sara Zaker

Founded by Jude Kelly CBE, WOW - Women of the World is an international festival that started its journey in 2021 in Bangladesh. It organises community events nationwide by offering a platform to celebrate the voices of women and girls, whether living within or beyond the margins of society.
20 December 2023, 18:06 PM
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Representing Bengal’s Gaudiya Nritya on the world stage

Gaudiya Nritya is a Bengali classical dance originating in Gaur, Bengal, the ancient capital of the region. Gaudiya Nritya is a composite art form representing the pre-colonial division of larger Bengal with a unique combination of music, history, poetry, literature, drama and rhythm.
12 December 2023, 18:05 PM
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Prachyanat to conclude triumphant year with ‘Koinna’

The popular theatre troupe is going to conclude a glorious year with one of its initial plays, eminent thespian Azad Abul Kalam directorial “Koinna”, being staged at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Wednesday (December 13) at 7 PM .
11 December 2023, 08:13 AM
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Singing her way to national glory

Talented singer Atiya Anisha became a household name in the Bangladeshi film and music industry with her crowd-favorite playback singles like “Cholo Niralay” from the movie “Poran”, “Jadur Ayna” from the web-film “Antonagar”, and more. Recently, she received the Best Singer Award in the female category for the song “Ei Shohorer Pothe Pothe” from the movie “Payer Chhaap”, at the Bangladesh National Film Awards. The talented songstress dropped by The Daily Star for a chat.
1 December 2023, 18:05 PM

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