In search of Home

For 24-year-old Anika Ibnat, finding a safe space to call home, like many single women in Dhaka city, has been a struggle.
30 March 2017

CALL IT CRONYISM

The government is devising ways to offload state-owned companies' shares according to a new Daily Star report (March 17, 2017).
30 March 2017

Looking for a black cat in a dark room

The Home Minister had reportedly asserted in early March this year that, “militancy problem remains under control”.
30 March 2017

HISTORY AND THE BIRANGONA

In December 1971, East Pakistan became the independent nation of Bangladesh after a nine-month war with West Pakistan and their local Bengali collaborators.
23 March 2017

THE MESSENGER

1971, for families torn apart or displaced by the war, was a time of profound uncertainty, of not knowing where or how their loved ones were, of waiting for news – any news – good or bad.
23 March 2017

Should Bangladesh do more to support the Palestinian cause?

The Palestinian struggle for independence bears some resemblance to ours, but Bangladesh's support for their cause dated back to its ...
23 March 2017

Mailbox

The article published in the "Spotlight" section of Star Weekend (dated March 17, 2017) was a very insightful write-up that showed us...
23 March 2017

SNAPSHOT

The only noise now was the rain, pattering softly with the magnificent indifference of nature for the tangled passions of humans.
23 March 2017

Should the government's request to Facebook worry you?

Last week, I somehow found myself at a market where the Rapid Action Battalion and Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) were busting shops for selling walkie-talkies.
23 March 2017

About Town

Laal Jatra
23 March 2017

Public works or public sufferings?

A few days ago, 42-year-old wood carver Swapan died in the most tragic of circumstances at the Moghbazar-Malibagh flyover construction site.
23 March 2017

Sukumar's Myth and Magic

Silly rhymes, nonsensical verses, absurd characters - that's how Sukumar Ray introduced poetry in to my life with his book Abol Tabol (Rhymes without Reasons), an amazing collection of classic Bengali nonsense poetry.
23 March 2017

Because Society *cough*Cares*cough*

Our society is one that really cares about its people. Through a series of questions that may at first seem a little daunting, society chooses to show its undying affection for all its members.
23 March 2017

Smartphones for History Lessons

A study by the Microsoft Corporation concluded in 2015 that the average attention span of humans has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds, officially below that of a goldfish.
23 March 2017

MEMORIES OF BLOOD AND TERROR

It was a Thursday. Madhushudan Dey, owner of the famous Dhaka University Modhur Canteen, went off on his business around noon.
23 March 2017

THE WAR OF FOOTAGE

The footages, along with transcripts of ABC, CBS and NBC prime time news from March 25 to December 25, 1971, perhaps characterise the then US administration's stance on the Liberation War of Bangladesh, and show the response of the powers involved in the war and US media. However, the focus of this short write-up is how these three US television news channels represented the Liberation War in 1971.
23 March 2017

Over the boundaries

Remember the former British wheelchair racer Tanni Grey-Thompson, who received 16 medals in her Paralympics career, along with 13 world championship medals?
16 March 2017

Rape does not end with the incident

Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a student from Comilla's Victoria College, was raped and her dead body was dumped in the bushes on March 20, 2016. The incident happened inside the cantonment area where she lived with her family. Her father discovered her dead body.
16 March 2017

THE BENGALI GAZE

A TV commercial by a prominent telecom company was brought to my attention through a Facebook post by a journalist.
16 March 2017

A NEW VICTORY ON THE HORIZON

There was a time when animal rights activists like Rubaiya Ahmad, Founder, Obhoyaronno Animal Welfare Foundation, would go to file cases or fight against animal abusers, but in vain.
16 March 2017