Fertile Land, Unequal Ownership

The present government declared the draft 'Jatiyo Naree Unnoyon Neeti 2011' (National Women Development Policy 2011) on March 8, 2011. The alleged aim is 'to improve the socio-economic condition of women in Bangladesh'.

“For men there is a share from what their parents and close relatives leave, and for women there is a share from what their parents and close relatives leave, be it little or considerable; an obligatory share.” (The Holy Quran-Sura Nisa- 4:7)

The Hindu Women's Rights to Property Act, 1937 completely excludes women from getting a share of their father's or husband's property if there are sons in the family. Even if there are no sons, not all daughters are equally eligible to inherit their father's property.

I do not usually write very easily. As someone working mostly with people with little or no literacy, my forte, as I would like to call it, is the oral tradition.

The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW in short, was adopted in 1979, and came into force in 1981. To date, a total of 189 countries across the world have ratified it in order to work for a world with gender equality.

Earlier this week, I learned that many Dhaka University (DU) students have absolutely no clue what DUCSU is. Some have only seen this name being thrown around in memes, some have seen it on a building on campus, but they're not sure what it means.

"Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain." - Henry David Thoreau

Every year, young authors appear with new concepts inside colourful covers at the Ekushey Boi Mela.

The article on the works of Shahriar Kabir was delightful. I myself got my first SK book as a birthday gift and read it repeatedly. The story set in a foreign land captivated me.

Such horrific tragic incidents take place in our country on a regular basis but the question is how much are we learning from such incidents?

When UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced the decision to prevent Shamima Begum from returning to the UK, many were thrilled—including Bangladeshis.

People say—and it is always people and not a lion or a cat or a cockroach that says things. People are lazy. They use words to get away without actually doing anything.

Whenever I find something beautiful, I end up going back to the works of my father to judge that beauty.

For decades now, Rohingya refugees have been crossing the border into Bangladesh as unrest worsened in their native Rakhine, Myanmar.

On Wednesday last week, a busy street in Chawkbazar in Bangladesh's oldest neighbourhood burst into flames, killing at least 67 people and injuring many.

According to a 2018 report by Oxfam International, “Eighty-two percent of the wealth generated last year went to the richest one percent of the global population, while the 3.7 billion people who make up the poorest half of the world saw no increase in their wealth.

There is a district in the south-west of Bangladesh which is at the epicentre of a drinking water crisis. A crisis that is being exacerbated everyday owing to the realities of climate change.

Currently, Dhaka University (DU) campus is full of excitement and apprehension due to the much-awaited Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) and hall union elections.

Growing up schooled in an English medium curriculum can bring with it a certain disconnect with the Bengali language. Or at least it did for me.