May 20, 2022
Cumilla polls, a litmus test for EC, and the shadow of drugs
For a party so image-conscious and so demanding of "clean image" from its candidates, Awami League surely knows how to make a muck of things and draw unflattering attention.
April 29, 2022
If justice had a face now, it would be of victims wronged twice
The idea of a justice system hinges on people’s faith in its ability to offer fair solutions. So justice, as the saying goes, should not only be done, but be seen to be done as well, so that people’s faith in it is kept intact.
April 14, 2022
Hankering for rural contact? Pahela Baishakh isn’t the answer
It’s been quite some time since we’ve had a Pahela Baishakh in the middle of Ramadan. The convergence of the two occasions, not necessarily a clash of ideologies, begs appreciation of life in its many nuances and complexities.
April 6, 2022
Dhaka, for all intents and purposes, is dead
In Dhaka, we don’t live anymore, we merely survive.
March 25, 2022
Ferry disasters: Let’s not sugarcoat institutional murders
It’s like a scene from a Stephen King movie: a small passenger vessel being “devoured” by a cargo ship about 20 times its size.
March 15, 2022
No, we were already pathetic before Sunny Leone came
If you think the social media tendency to obsess over trivial matters is problematic, be sure to highlight what’s causing it.
March 11, 2022
If my buying capacity triples and I don’t know it, does it still count?
Apparently, it does. According to the state-run Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). And according to Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud.
March 4, 2022
A citizen’s manifesto for Election Commission
In his first media briefing on February 28, 2022, the newly sworn-in Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal ticked almost all the right boxes.
February 15, 2022
The CEC Is Gone, Long Live the CEC!
Let me begin with the story of a thought experiment. I did this experiment with a concept known as perspective-taking.
February 6, 2022
How to read the Sinha murder verdict
For the government, the timing of the Sinha murder verdict on January 31 couldn’t have been worse, with increasing global scrutiny following a US sanction on RAB over allegations of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings.