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BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Shamsad Mortuza

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Dr Shamsad Mortuza is the vice-chancellor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

OP_1__Human_connections.jpg

From a shrine pond to a Mirpur flat: We keep mourning what we fail to protect

6 June 2026, 00:00 AM
Instead of framing the issue as a debate on tradition versus modernity, we need to ask whether we are capable of caring for what we claim to value. If the crocodile was heritage, why was it not managed responsibly? If the child’s safety mattered, why was the danger not addressed earlier? If the shrine was sacred, why was its ecology left to improvisation?
6 June 2026, 00:00 AM
ED_1__Increasing_trend_of_madrasa.jpg

The economics behind education choices in Bangladesh

23 May 2026, 09:00 AM
I am sitting in a hotel room in Islamabad, reading a recent Bonik Barta report that makes a compelling argument:
23 May 2026, 09:00 AM
ED_1__Premium_education.jpg

The economy of premium education and parental anxiety

16 May 2026, 09:00 AM
A recent post by a colleague who had to pay Tk 2.5 lakh as an admission fee for his child at a reputed English medium school made me reflect on an anomaly that we have gotten used to.
16 May 2026, 09:00 AM
ED_1__Mohammadpur_Geneva_Camp.jpg

Mohammadpur and the reality of urban crimes in Dhaka

9 May 2026, 09:00 AM
There is something quite catchy and seductive in the way Mohammadpur is branded as the “City of God.” The phrase is loaded with a Brazilian flavour, conjuring cinematic memories of gang fights in narrow alleys, muggers on motorcycles, the prevalence of narcotics among frightened residents, territorial youth gangs, occasional police raids, and political protection.
9 May 2026, 09:00 AM
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An open letter to Limon and Bristy

3 May 2026, 10:00 AM
The attic of my thoughts is peopled by figures whom I never thought would gather to murmur in my head; these are the voices of people who should never have to meet like this.
3 May 2026, 10:00 AM
OP_1-body1.jpg

Reimagining sustainability from the ground up

25 April 2026, 10:00 AM
Recently, my university came together to celebrate a day that could have been just another checkbox for ranking metrics or media optics.
25 April 2026, 10:00 AM
Cox’s Bazar Tourism Problems

Cox’s Bazar at the crossroads of beauty without design

18 April 2026, 11:00 AM
Nobody questions the potential of Cox’s Bazar. Clearly, it can compete with any of the top-class beaches elsewhere. For that, the administrators need to think beyond immediate, narrow interests. They need to plan access roads despite local pressures.
18 April 2026, 11:00 AM
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Blended learning in an energy crisis: Innovation or institutional amnesia?

11 April 2026, 08:00 AM
“My classroom has four ceiling fans, but if we are to attend online classes from home, we will need 50 fans.”
11 April 2026, 08:00 AM
Students in quota reform movement

The lives of fallen students must inspire the change we need

Reconciliation cannot occur without truth-telling, accountability, and a commitment to dismantling the structures of violence that perpetuate inequality and injustice.
3 August 2024, 02:00 AM
Our political leaders have failed to see that these young people fighting for their rights don’t want to be trapped in any identity binary. FILE PHOTO: ANISUR RAHMAN

A generation's fight in the shadows of quota

The movement was no longer about quotas; it was about justice.
27 July 2024, 04:00 AM
Highly educated people choosing blue-collar jobs abroad

Why are highly educated people choosing blue-collar jobs abroad?

Seeing our PhD holders choose menial jobs over research and innovation highlights a flaw in our educational policy.
13 July 2024, 02:00 AM
Students and job seekers have taken it to the streets, seeking an end to positive discrimination under the quota system that looms over half of government jobs. FILE PHOTO: ANISUR RAHMAN

Pension wars and quota protests: The manufactured divide

Polarisation, rife with mutual fear and rage, is on the rise. Something dark and sinister is occurring.
5 July 2024, 09:34 AM
Julian Assange-Breaking chains through whistleblowing

Breaking chains through whistleblowing

Why does it matter for us when a foreign individual is free after such a long time?
29 June 2024, 04:00 AM
begums-blunder-1.jpg

‘Begum’s Blunder’ shines in Wilde splendour

Begum’s Blunder is a clever adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan. The play transports the Victorian setting to the imaginary Behrampur, the heyday of the Nawabs in India. With Naila Azad Nupur’s direction, and Sadaf Saaz working her behind-the-scenes magic as the producer, the production by Kaleidoscope projects lights on the prism of Wilde’s 1892 play to find their contemporary refractions and reflections in colonial India.
26 June 2024, 18:00 PM
MP Anar, violence, corruption, people silhouette, meat,

A monologue on the beasts among us

As I stand before the heap of fresh meat, my thoughts turn to the slain politician who was hacked to death
22 June 2024, 04:00 AM
PhD in private universities in Bangladesh

P for Private, P for PhD

The UGC's decision to allow private universities to offer PhD programmes is a timely move.
15 June 2024, 04:00 AM
University rankings

Our love-hate relationship with university rankings

A prestigious ranking system naming Dhaka University as the top university in Bangladesh makes us revisit that love-hate stance.
8 June 2024, 02:08 AM
Rafah bombing May 2024

Spare us the hypocrisy

Moral policing by the West, when its own hypocrisy comes out through its actions controvening international law, one cannot help feeling bemused.
2 June 2024, 04:00 AM
The manoeuvring and manipulation of the public transport system remains a perennial source of pain and suffering for commuters and non-commuters alike.

Dhaka’s transport turmoil

Dhaka is the world's rickshaw capital
25 May 2024, 06:00 AM
Aurora boraelis in UK 2024

The aurora enigma: Science and myths

The interplay between myths and scientific explanations of auroras illustrates human being’s capacity to find meaning in the natural world.
18 May 2024, 05:00 AM
Pupose of a university

A slice of the university pie

The utilitarian value of a university must reflect the institution's inherent value.
11 May 2024, 02:00 AM
What Milton Samaddar and Tipu Kibria show us about society.

One, two, three of social deceptions

What people like Milton Samaddar and Tipu Kibria show us about society.
4 May 2024, 04:54 AM
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The pitfalls of neutrality

The heavy-handedness led students in Atlanta to shout, "Stop Cop City."
27 April 2024, 03:00 AM
Debate on functionality of speed cameras in Dhaka

Kafkaesque realities of traffic rule enforcement

The problem lies in the lack of clarity regarding the type of speed cameras installed and their operational status.
19 April 2024, 14:00 PM
Chaitra Sankranti: How do we detox our social body?

Chaitra Sankranti: How do we detox our social body?

Gang culture, partisan politics, and hapless youth cannot be part of the algorithm needed for a Smart Bangladesh.
16 April 2024, 00:00 AM
Income tax on private universities in Bangladesh

Tax on private universities: Must we make education more costly?

This move seems to be a punishment for non-profit educational ventures that aim to enhance our higher education landscape.
5 April 2024, 15:30 PM
VISUAL: SHAIKH SULTANA JAHAN BADHON

Dancing with Sycophancy

The spectacle raises some serious questions about the state of academic integrity and leadership.
30 March 2024, 06:29 AM
The shadow lines of Bangladesh's birth

The shadow lines of Bangladesh's birth

Our freedom struggle helped us identify both our allies and enemies
25 March 2024, 18:00 PM

Pagination

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