Iqra L Qamari

Dibarah Mahboob’s ‘Kraati’: Where women tell the story for a change

In the usual run-of-the-mill Bangladeshi cinema, where narratives often orbit around male protagonists and their odysseys, Dibarah Mahboob's “Kraati” emerges as a pleasant anomaly—a short film centred around two young women, an upper-middle-class daughter and her resilient househelp. Set against the backdrop of the July Monsoon Revolution of 2024, “Kraati” delves into their intertwined lives and shared struggles for autonomy and respect, in a society run very much within the patriarchal framework. Drawing from her anthropological background and personal experiences, Mahboob crafts a narrative that is both intimate and universally resonant. While “Kraati” does not explicitly reference the movement, its spirit pulses through the film’s core. With an air of revolution already in the...

3w ago

This country belongs to women too

Moitree Jatra was not a gathering of any political banner or one social cause.

1m ago

Kamruddin Ahmad: A visionary political thinker we must remember

In a quiet neighbourhood of a once lush green residential area of Dhanmondi, I grew up in a three-storied house that dates back to the year 1957, listening wide-eyed to stories of a man deeply involved in Bangladesh’s struggle for sovereignty and democracy.

4m ago

A journey from protests to prison to pardon

Despite the pardon, the entire incident underscores the crucial need for stronger diplomatic ties and improved migrant labour rights.

9m ago

The rise of the Ambani brand

With great wealth, should there not be great scrutiny and accountability?

1y ago

The fault in our idea of progress

Puzzling positive developments in our economic indicators, which hardly delineate the real socioeconomic conditions of the people in Bangladesh, are not new phenomena.

3y ago

An apology long overdue

On a symbolic visit to Kigali, Rwanda this year, French President Emmanuel Macron recognised France’s extensive role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, asking for the “gift of forgiveness” from those who survived the atrocities—without, however, putting forth an official apology.

3y ago

For the Ones Who Stay Behind

There's a life waiting to be cherished and lived here too.

3y ago
May 23, 2025
May 23, 2025

Dibarah Mahboob’s ‘Kraati’: Where women tell the story for a change

In the usual run-of-the-mill Bangladeshi cinema, where narratives often orbit around male protagonists and their odysseys, Dibarah Mahboob's “Kraati” emerges as a pleasant anomaly—a short film centred around two young women, an upper-middle-class daughter and her resilient househelp. Set against the backdrop of the July Monsoon Revolution of 2024, “Kraati” delves into their intertwined lives and shared struggles for autonomy and respect, in a society run very much within the patriarchal framework. Drawing from her anthropological background and personal experiences, Mahboob crafts a narrative that is both intimate and universally resonant. While “Kraati” does not explicitly reference the movement, its spirit pulses through the film’s core. With an air of revolution already in the...

May 19, 2025
May 19, 2025

This country belongs to women too

Moitree Jatra was not a gathering of any political banner or one social cause.

February 17, 2025
February 17, 2025

Kamruddin Ahmad: A visionary political thinker we must remember

In a quiet neighbourhood of a once lush green residential area of Dhanmondi, I grew up in a three-storied house that dates back to the year 1957, listening wide-eyed to stories of a man deeply involved in Bangladesh’s struggle for sovereignty and democracy.

September 7, 2024
September 7, 2024

A journey from protests to prison to pardon

Despite the pardon, the entire incident underscores the crucial need for stronger diplomatic ties and improved migrant labour rights.

March 16, 2024
March 16, 2024

The rise of the Ambani brand

With great wealth, should there not be great scrutiny and accountability?

June 12, 2022
June 12, 2022

The fault in our idea of progress

Puzzling positive developments in our economic indicators, which hardly delineate the real socioeconomic conditions of the people in Bangladesh, are not new phenomena.

December 16, 2021
December 16, 2021

An apology long overdue

On a symbolic visit to Kigali, Rwanda this year, French President Emmanuel Macron recognised France’s extensive role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, asking for the “gift of forgiveness” from those who survived the atrocities—without, however, putting forth an official apology.

September 30, 2021
September 30, 2021

For the Ones Who Stay Behind

There's a life waiting to be cherished and lived here too.

July 30, 2021
July 30, 2021

A love letter to the women in the kitchen

Gender stereotypes like the notion of women belonging in the kitchen may seem trite and overdone, but these continue to have an effect in a culture that devalues women by asserting that it is their sole duty to cook.

October 3, 2020
October 3, 2020

Why must the dogs go?

In the midst of ungodly incidents of street harassment, countless potholed roads, ridiculous standards of drainage systems, a stunning lack of proper garbage maintenance and hundreds of other issues that Dhaka residents have to deal with every single day, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has planned to ameliorate the plight of the city-dwellers by rounding up around 30,000 stray dogs and dumping them in isolated areas outside the capital.