One more vote, one vote fewer: Why people will and won't go to polls
The Daily Star asked two young voters to explain their decisions as the 12th parliamentary election rolls out.
The Runaway Boy: A promise not delivered
The Runway Boy (Eka, 2020), written by Manoranjan Byapari and translated from Bangla by V Ramaswamy, delivers an accurate portrayal of postcolonial Bengal,
Anuradha Roy's book of longing and belonging
In Hindu mythology, the figure of the flaming, underwater horse has been repeatedly used to represent balance and harmony—a state in which both the elements of fire and water can coexist.
How the landless are leading the fight against sexual violence in schools
In 2009, the High Court issued a directive that requires active anti-sexual harassment cells in all educational institutions and workplaces. The landless organisations used RTI to find out how many schools in their locality had complied with the HC directive.
Anti-Sexual Harassment Cells: ‘No one to listen until we make ourselves heard’
Mehnaz (not her real name), a student of Chittagong University, was sexually harassed by a group of men on her campus a few months ago.
How Salman Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children’ changed my life
Metaphors have never made more sense to me than when these two swapped but intertwined lives personified India and Pakistan, the two newborn countries, whose births were marked by blood, pain and trauma.
Of ‘tantrism’ and trickery
Faruk, a poultry dealer in Karwan Bazar who hails from Laxmipur, got married to his childhood sweetheart from the same village he used to live in. While they were staying in Dhaka, his wife got pregnant with their first child. But then, the couple had an altercation, and his wife went back to the village to stay with her parents.
July 6, 2022
The root of our unhappiness: When the personal becomes political
I woke up from a Covid-induced fever dream to this news: Bangladesh has ranked seventh among the world's angriest, saddest, and most stressed nations, according to the 2022 Global Emotions Report.
June 16, 2022
Where are our public spaces?
A lack of safe public spaces in Dhaka has aggravated a lot of issues, especially among the youth.
June 13, 2022
The story behind “Everyday Stories”
Each of them represented a unique crisis that women in our country are most frequently faced with, and when I had their stories assembled, I knew this was what I was looking for.
May 18, 2022
Of grief, longing and 'Chiltey Roud'
Grief can be both excruciating and cathartic.
April 27, 2022
What enables vulgar display of power over a playground?
I often think about all the times our kids took to the streets to ask for something—justice for their friends who were killed in road crashes or raped and brutally murdered.
April 23, 2022
The fault in our books: Why are Bangla books poorly edited?
What does our editorial process lack? Why can’t we hire good proofreaders? The answer lies in the economics of it.
March 8, 2022
A champion in the fight against climate change
“My life was not easy. When I was only 17 years of age, my family married me off against my will. I wanted to go to school and finish my education,
February 17, 2022
Made in Bangladesh, played in Bangladesh
Musicians in the country, more often the young and emerging ones, have always faced the dilemma of choosing between a quality instrument and an affordable price.
February 17, 2022
What does it take to prepare for Ekushey Boi Mela?
Amar Ekushey Boi Mela has been one of the most celebrated literary events of the country for decades. Every February, this book fair celebrates our love for language and literature, with a festive mood that lasts for a month. But what does it take to prepare for a fair this big?
February 10, 2022
Revisiting Zahir Raihan’s ‘Arek Falgun’ this spring, and every spring
Winter was slowly taking off, with the February breeze following through, with the falling of the Debdaru leaves, with the advent of a new season.
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