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

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 17 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Together

'Rise': Sehri Tales selections, Day 16

I love reading about popular inventions which were originally created with a different purpose in mind. For instance, did you know that bubble wrap, that oh-so-ubiquitous packing material that doubles as a stress-relieving toy, was initially intended to be wallpaper? Imagine that! On the one hand, you have hours and hours of bubble-popping fun. On the other hand, probably a trypophobe’s nightmare, so maybe not. Either way, March Chavannes and Alfred Fielding, the co-inventors of the material, thought they had a dud on their hands until IBM started looking for better packing materials for their delicate new computers. The rest is history.

In Deena Mohamed’s Shubeik Lubeik (originally published in 2015 and translated in 2023 by Mohamed herself), wishes have not only drastically altered the fabric of daily life in Egypt, but the world at large.

Though on its surface Sanya Rushdi’s  Hospital, translated into English by Arunava Sinha and recently longlisted for the 2024 Stella Prize, looks to be a breezy, short read—it is anything but. With her rather flattened, sparse prose, Rushdi has managed to write an enduring piece of autofiction, a compelling account of psychosis that neither sensationalises nor withers away any sentimentality from the struggles of mental health.

If the country’s literary potential is not given generous support, we may never create favourable conditions for aspiring writers to devote time and energy to the art

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 15 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Library

So in the spirit of Independence, I urge my reader to exercise independence of consumption—to question what you are buying, what you are reading, what you are watching, and which of these you are really given the freedom to choose.

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 14 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Double

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 13 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Ease

Am I allowed to hold on to you? / But you are waves of serendipity, / Moving forward in each clutch

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 12 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Total

'I would like to see more writing coming out of Bangladesh,' Shazia Omar said. 'We are still behind'

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 11 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Resist

I remember the Ramadan of 2020, which was the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and also the year my friends and I decided to shift the Sehri Tales to our own platform and open it up to a wider audience.

When my literature professor heard I had been delving into Bangla literature and cultural media in pursuit of a self-undertaken project to finally learn Bangla, she suggested I see the 1970 film Jibon Thekey Neya.

On my first day of a class on postcolonial theory, our professor ended the lecture with a simple exercise that we would reflect back on at the end of our semester.

I became curious as to how the experience of reading might change for someone who studied it for a living, and how the lens of a literature student might differ from that of a creative writing one

As the holy month of Ramadan continues, may these books serve as guiding lights, illuminating the path towards greater understanding, compassion, and happiness

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 10 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Cheese