Black garlic and the metro’s shopping trail
I love exotic spices and use them in my culinary experiments. Sometimes the result is brilliant, while other times it’s a disaster. Still, I continue my witch’s brew with whatever herbs or spices I can get my hands on.
9 July 2026
Dhaka’s beautiful football madness
“He was jumping around the street, glowing -- he’d just personalised his own Messi jersey. I couldn’t resist asking for a picture.
4 July 2026
Why Bangladesh must save its indigenous rice before it disappears
Discover the deep cultural heritage of indigenous Bangladeshi rice varieties preserved at Manikganj's Pran Boichitra Khamar by Delowar Jahan. Protect this sacred identity using heirloom grains, nostalgic panta bhat, and a rustic Kushtia khichuri recipe.
28 June 2026
Dhaka’s fragmented Shiite heritage
The 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, marks Ashura -- a day layered with sacred memory, grief, and devotion.
27 June 2026
Facebook’s theatre of sophistication
It was one of those easy evenings: my friend and I sprawled on the bed, gossiping in that unhurried way only comfort allows.
24 June 2026
Old clothes, new stories
Currently in Dhaka’s shopping scene, the trending word is pre‑loved -- a positive, stylish term for second‑hand, used, or vintage clothing. You could call it the polished cousin of the hand‑me‑downs we grew up with.
21 June 2026
From mangoes to lotkon: The generosity of Jyaishtha in Dhaka
My story today is of Jyaishtha, the second month of the Bangla calendar, sweetly tucked between May and June, and lovingly nicknamed mishti mash -- the sweet month. It is a season not just of fruit, but of affection, abundance, and the kind of cordiality that defines Bengali summer.
8 June 2026
The romance of cash in a QR economy
I know it is the era of a cashless economy, and in Dhaka, like elsewhere, plastic money and electronic transfers underpin and replace physical cash.
4 June 2026
The quiet tenderness of Eid in a restless Dhaka
Now that the Eid holidays are over and everyday routines -- schools, offices, and the familiar rhythm -- have begun, we are almost reluctantly rescheduling our lazy holiday hours.
2 June 2026
Caught between soil and signal: The collapse of Bangalee adda
Last Friday I realised something maddening: our once‑famous Bangalee addas -- those spirited gatherings that felt like cultural performances, a way of living -- now stand fractured and quiet.
23 May 2026
The silver screen speaks of celluloid dreams
My grandmother-in-law watched the cult Bangla cinema Shujan Shukhi eight times in the halls of Narayanganj, back when she lived in a wooden two-storied bungalow -- the downstairs serving as her husband’s gaddi, his office and business hub.
12 May 2026
When theatre speaks in letters
I found myself back on Bailey Road with my friends last weekend, after what felt like ages. Joining us was Anisul Haque, a friend’s better half and the celebrated writer who makes pop culture look effortlessly stylish.
9 May 2026
Dhaka’s rhythm of heat and rain
A tree toppled during the recent nor’wester is being cleared away from Ramna Park.***
30 April 2026
Dhaka’s Heatwave: Between Lilies and Migraines
Like the song “Summer Nights” from the ’80s blockbuster “Grease”, I keep humming my own parody these days: Summer lovin’, had me a headache.
27 April 2026
Rediscovering Rahat Ara Begum: A legacy revived through dance and literature
For Lubna Marium, acclaimed dancer and choreographer, reviving her grandmother Rahat Ara Begum’s literary legacy has been a pilgrimage.
23 April 2026
Maleka Khan: A guardian of memory
Maleka Khala—a soft yet steadfast woman to whom Bangladesh remains indebted.
22 April 2026
Pahela Baishakh Alpona: When Dhaka turns into a canvas
Now that the hullabaloo of Pahela Baishakh is over, the festival colours have yet to fade.
20 April 2026
Bed Tea: A quiet ritual across time
In 1930s colonial Dhaka, bed tea was the first act of waking life.
18 April 2026
Shakyamuni’s Biju Mela brings the hills to Dhaka
Biju, Boisu, Sangrai, Bihu, Shangkran, and Bishu are different versions of a festival celebrating the New Year and the arrival of spring in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Each indigenous community has its own name for it in their dialect, and together they are often grouped under the umbrella term Boisabi.
13 April 2026
Aam tel and the Bengali palate
My first encounter with the word “aam tel’” wasn’t in my own kitchen, but through the West Bengal series “Indubala’s Bhaater Hotel”.
11 April 2026