Faiza Ramim

Tucked away on the first floor of a quiet building in Banani 11, Tara Books has gradually become one of Dhaka’s most intimate cultural sanctuaries. What began as a small independent bookshop has evolved into a rare space for film enthusiasts in the city’s otherwise commercial northern neighborhoods. Managed by Arfun Ahmed, the shop now doubles as a micro-cinema, hosting regular weekend screenings that have turned into a refuge for conversation, curiosity, and community.

The event had assembled performers from every corner of the country united only by their love for Lalon -- Kuhok Team from Narayanganj, Indrani Shoma from Chattogram, Kotha Baul from Tangail, Oikko Jit Baul from Gazipur, Shukhonlal Rai from Lalmonirhat and Anan Baul from Sirajganj, joined by S M Rakib, Shimul, Anupam, Lanju, Akash Giyan, Lau Band and writer-philosopher-performer Arup Rahi.

“Man’s Best Friend” sparked controversy ahead of its release, with its album cover depicting Sabrina Carpenter on her knees, a man holding her hair. Many feminists online argue that the image blurs the line between satire and harm, claiming it rebrands degradation as empowerment and enables patriarchal standards.

At a time when tensions are once again rising in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), marked by sporadic violence, and fear among indigenous communities, the screening of indigenous films “My Bicycle” (2015) and “Dear Mother” (2023) is a gesture of solidarity and a counter-archive against erasure.

Ritwik Kumar Ghatak’s home in Rajshahi, was demolished by the locals post-July on 5 and August, 2024 by the locals in what seemed like a communal rift. The Rajshahi cultural society had petitioned as far back as 2017 to preserve it as a heritage site, but their appeals went unheard. The situation is tragic but it opens the door to important conversations about the necessity of preservation of culture and art.

In what is now regarded as the deadliest zone for journalists, nearly 300 journalists and media workers have been killed since October 7, Bangladeshi writer and photojournalist Shahidul Alam and activist-health expert Ruhi Akhter set sail with the flotilla to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip. According to the latest reports, Shahidul Alam and fellow activists were detained after entering the red zone, approximately 220 km off Gaza’s coast.

Is Taylor Swift incapable of making a bad album? Well, The Rolling Stones certainly thinks so. The last two albums they gave a 4.5 rating to “Evermore” and “Folklore” and every single album that followed afterwards got a perfect score of 5 out of 5.

It was only yesterday that the nation watched as harmless old fakir was dragged away, lured by coaxing words, while men in gloves ignored his pleas and held him down like a disobedient animal before shaving his head – a disturbing violation of autonomy and human rights. In today’s climate, where such behaviour is displayed, encouraged, and even defended, going ahead with an event celebrating music, Sufism, and Baul sangeet was a necessary act of defiance.

Acclaimed theatre director and founder of Dhaka University’s Department of Theatre and Music, Syed Jamil Ahmed, established Spardha Independent Collective with just five members in September 2018. Among them is the notable Mohsina Akhter. A direct student of Syed Jamil Ahmed, she is simultaneously a director, performer, and costume designer. This May, she made her big-screen debut with the release of “Jaya aar Sharmin”. However, she prefers not to differentiate between mediums of storytelling. As she explains, “People who know how to swim can swim in any body of water.”

Here are a few things I learned in the one month we haven’t spoken

It’s been so long since we last spoke that I don’t think I can talk to you without confessing something. There you were, standing before me

Stay in a group, never in alleyways

a man walks into a bar but he looks like a little boy