Creative nonfiction / Growing up with a new nation: The Dhaka we once knew

After three successful years of sehri-time storytelling, Sehri Tales is back with their annual month-long “boot camp for creativity”. The fourth iteration started off with the prompt “Mercy” on April 14, 2021.

Bangladesh, the former East Pakistan, may have separated from India in 1947, but the centuries of shared history, society, politics, culture, and religion remain etched in the countries’ fabric. Some decades later, Bangladesh, too, carved out a space for themselves, becoming an independent nation with the help of India’s military operations in December of 1971. Thus, the Liberation War connected Bangladesh and India as historic allies, a relationship that has carried over through the years, with varying congeniality. Fifty Years of Bangladesh-India Relations: Issues, Challenges and Possibilities (Om Publications, 2021), evaluates these “contested” relations between the two countries from various perspectives, from both a contemporary and historical standpoint.

I’ve lost count of the number of people who have recommended Jennifer Mathieu’s best-selling book Moxie (Roaring Brook Press, 2017) to me. All I ever saw about the book were torrents of positive reviews on social media, one following another.

All things colourful make up the Bangla New Year—boisterous celebrations of nature, art work, music, food, the quintessential Bangali warmth, and the Mongol Shobhajatra as its crowning jewel

Very few visitors were seen on the last day of the Boi Mela yesterday, it being a working day.

Poet and novelist, Shahosro Shumon, who has recently met with great acclaim following his poem, “E jatray beche gele”, has published a new book on the relativity of success and how modern society has come to measure it in monetary terms.

Nabendu Ghosh (1917-2007), an eminent author in Bengali literature pursued many passions. A dancer, an actor, a writer, a screenwriter and a film director, his opus of writing includes thirty novels and fifteen short story collections, that are being translated and continue relevant.

Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, as much at home on the Kali Ghat as in Greenwich Village, is best remembered in Bangladesh on account of his poem, September on the Jessore Road. Year One.

On March 16, 2021, renowned writer Jharna Rahman was awarded the Ananya Shahittya Puroshkar 1427 for her remarkable contribution to the field of Bangla literature. The award ceremony was held at the Poet Sufia Kamal Auditorium in the Bangladesh National Museum, attended by chief guest Syed Manzoorul Islam and special guest writer-director Faridur Rahman. The ceremony was chaired by Tasmima Hossain, editor of Anannya and Daily Ittefaq.

The results of the essay competition organised by Gyantapas Abdur Razzak Foundation, conducted virtually through Zoom, were announced on April 5. Each of the winners has been awarded with certificates and cash prizes.

Sales are starting to look up at the Boi Mela compared to the beginning of the lockdown. More visitors, most wearing face masks, were seen at the book fair premises yesterday given the availability of public transport.

The New World, as started by Spanish and Portuguese authorities followed by the Dutch and the English, was built on the amputated bodies of countless indigenous and Black people.

As a lover of books and music, it is no surprise that I would pick up Anubhutir Abhidhan (Addhayan Prokashoni, 2021), a book of musings, stories, and poems written by Tahsan Khan— singer, songwriter, actor, teacher, and also a mentor to many in Bangladesh.

One year ago, I was tracking cases of a novel coronavirus as it was spreading all across the world. One year into the pandemic, COVID-19 needs no introduction.

Despite Klara and the Sun (Faber, 2021) coming out on my birthday, and soft science fiction being not only a genre I regularly read but write, I found myself with no real connection with the Nobel Prize-winning author’s latest work.

Reading has proven to be a popular habit for all ages during this pandemic. From hardcopies to ebooks to audiobooks, readers now have the opportunity, and time, to discover other genres and enjoy new titles. But if you’re looking for some entertainment that goes beyond reading, these book-related activities might help you stay occupied at home as we brace ourselves for a week of lockdown.

Written by Jubair Shawan and published by Kharimati Prokashani, the poetry collection Mrittu Amader Protibeshi (Death is Our Neighbour) was recently launched through a virtual programme. In addition to the author, the event was attended by artist Razib Datta, who designed the book’s cover art. Among other guests were poet and publisher Monirul Monir, documentary filmmaker and translator Ashfaqul Ashekin, Bengal Stories CEO Alamin Rumi, Surjeet Sarker, and Mahmuda Shwarna. The official unveiling of the book followed a discussion session with online viewers.

Around 30 stalls at the Ekushey Boi Mela were damaged by the strong winds and heavy rainfall last night.

As per government mandated instructions, the Ekushey Boi Mela opened at 12 pm today while the rest of the city observed a lockdown. No visitors were seen at the entrance for the first 45 minutes of opening.

The world grows dim and dimmer with feeble eyes. Youth turns into a broken wheelchair; Let’s walk through the desert together, you and I.