Rotting Behind Bars

“Hey, people, welcome to your new home. Now you are the dwellers of one of Bangladesh's most famous buildings. Here, we have two packages for you. If you can pay 5000 Taka you will be allotted to a cell where you can get 'homely' comfort.
3 September 2015

To Soar Without Wings

It's results day! And what exactly does results day mean? Did you think it's a day when exam results come out? You are gravely mistaken.
27 August 2015

The Best Day, Everyday

A Teach for Bangladesh Fellow is a dignitary- not in his or her lifestyle, or in their fame and money, or in all clichéd ways one becomes a dignitary.
20 August 2015

Days of Play Fade Away

There is an apparent apathy in the nation's collective psyche towards the most precious lives of our society, the very soul of our future-- our children. Even unwittingly depriving our children of their physical and psychological nurture is a form of abuse.
13 August 2015

No Space to Grow

The lack of playing fields in our city has been a major reason for concern among Dhakaites, especially for parents and children.
13 August 2015

Dwelling in a Death Trap

Just a day after Eid-ul-Fitr, the country's biggest religious celebration, we woke up to the news of the unfortunate deaths of a woman and five children, in three separate incidents of landslides and wall collapse at Bayazid and Lalkhan areas of Chittagong due to heavy rainfall. Following the incident, the voice of concerned government officials could be heard over loudspeakers, as they requested people to move to safer places.
6 August 2015

The Zoo that is Not

Raja, the 21 years old Bengal Tiger is languishing in his cage with no medical care and little food. Flies are flying in circles around the wounds on his legs, but for his weakness the old tiger appears to be quite reluctant to drive the flies away. Lolling in his cage the helpless Raja gazes indifferently at the visitors who are trying to excite him by teasing him and sometimes throwing bottles and paper at him. However, Raja, on his deathbed, has lost all interest in the ragging he has been tolerating for years.
30 July 2015

For a tranquil Eid

Dhakaites have been complaining for a very long time that we don't have enough recreational activities or holiday places in our city. Other than going to the so called amusement parks or hopping between restaurants, we face a moral dilemma on how we can utilise the weekend. The going gets tougher when one is faced with short holidays.
9 July 2015

LOOKING FOR A BETTER PLAN

“Books - check. Pens and pencils - check. Rain coat - check. Umbrella - check. Old knee boots - check." – a part of the daily check lists made by 21-year-old Fatimah Sifat. Studying final year BBA at a private university, Fatimah prepares herself for the worst,
2 July 2015

A LONG WAIT

“Dada, Dada, mahre basa!” – the last words Kalindi Kumar Chakma heard from his sister after she was taken away from his side.
25 June 2015

The Song of the Sea

One day, during the gruesome Calcutta riot (1946), a curious boy escaped the strict surveillance of his phupu (paternal aunt), Salema Khatun.
18 June 2015

A promising new era

During the recent mayoral elections of Dhaka, Junaid Saki, a mayoral candidate of Dhaka North City Corporation, became a popular figure among the city dwellers.
11 June 2015

Surviving the Catastrophe

After heavy storms and winds that wrecked an entire village, 300 makeshift houses were built on a dilapidated dam in 2009.
4 June 2015

TORTURED, KILLED AND ABANDONED

On May 1, 2015, a shallow mass grave was discovered by some villagers collecting mushrooms deep inside a jungle of Thailand's Songkhla province.
28 May 2015

FROM A FADING ERA

Modern technology has bulldozed over many age-long practices and professions. Fortunately, a few still survive to tell the tales of days gone by. Those who are nostalgic about the olden days can seek out these rare services and reminisce about a very different, fast disappearing culture.
21 May 2015

YOU'VE GOT SNAIL MAIL

An average day at the General Post Office (GPO) in Gulistan starts as early as 7:30 in the morning.
14 May 2015

TO POST OR NOT TO POST

While social media has facilitated people's right of expressing their opinions on different issues, at times users' personal opinions, or extreme views on issues like sexism, racism, religion, politics, even cricket, also stir controversy leading to a conflict.
7 May 2015

BANNING NOT A SOLUTION

The main thing to establish is not that the freedom of expression is being controlled but that the culture of impunity is to be removed from the said 'expression'.
7 May 2015

SURVIVING THE TREMORS

As we have seen and experienced in the past few days, massive earthquakes like the ones that nearly demolished the entire country of Nepal, can turn lives upside down in the blink of an eye.
30 April 2015

THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH

The incident of sexual assault that took place this Pahela Baishakh on the Dhaka University campus was not the first of its kind.
23 April 2015