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.
Road Safety in Bangladesh: Demanded, yet Undelivered
On this week, 4 years ago, school and college students protested to ensure road safety for all.
Home, not a cage. Safety, not a curfew.
This is 2022. Imagine asking for security from your own alma mater and being caged as part of the solution.
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.
Where are our public spaces?
A lack of safe public spaces in Dhaka has aggravated a lot of issues, especially among the youth.
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.
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.
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.
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,
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?
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.
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.
Early curfews at women’s dormitories: An outdated practice
The process comes with plenty of inconveniences for the students.
When justice remains elusive for victims of gender-based violence
Gender-based violence (GBV) has always been a major cause for concern in Bangladesh, but it reached an alarming level in the last two years.
Manoranjan Byapari's 'Imaan': Between the familiar and the alien
Through Imaan's interactions with the world outside of the central jail in Kolkata, we meet rickshaw pullers, street hawkers, and tea-stall owners, who belong mostly to the lowest strata of the society and come from highly marginalised caste and economic backgrounds.
It’s been a good run, but have I been a good manager?
This issue’s feature talks about being a good manager. As I was editing the piece, I couldn’t help but think, have I been a good manager to my absolutely wonderful team of writers without whose support this publication would fall in an instance?
Keeping hope alive through storytelling: Why ‘The Breadwinner’ is a timely watch
War is always the hardest on women and children. Setting all the geopolitical discussions aside, it is not brand new information that the Taliban rule proved to be the worst for the women of Afghanistan in particular.
“Local jazz scene is growing and has mainstream potential”
Popular Jazz band ‘Imran Ahmed Trio’ will be soon releasing their album titled ‘Imran Ahmed Trio: Live in Warsaw’ from the Slovakian label ‘Hevhetia’. The 20-year-old label has released more than 280 albums so far and is one of the most active jazz labels in Central Europe.
Made in Bangladesh and not doing it for free
“If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” This week, we take Joker’s advice a bit more seriously and tell you how you can monetise your hobbies if you want to. In the feature this week, we focus on locally developed video games and their journey.
Jalal-Ud-Din Ahmad: A headmaster’s memoir
Pursuit of Excellence in Teaching: A Memoir (University Press Limited, 2021) chronicles the life and legacy of Jalal-Ud-Din Ahmad, a gifted educator who grew up to be the first graduate in his village in Feni, East Pakistan, and whose humble beginnings culminated in his winning the Presidential Award for “Best Headmaster in Pakistan” in 1967.
Scorched lives not anymore
On the second floor gallery of the Drik Path Bhaban at Panthapath, texts are displayed on a curving wall to the left, beside a list of industrial tragedies that took place over the last two decades.
Peeking between the real and the unreal with ‘Unoloukik’
Over time, we have developed this peculiar tendency to be happy with some of our locally produced content just because they allowed us, the audience, a different experience, whether in terms of cinematography or a unique storyline. Often times, we have applauded content of subpar quality because of this very reason, convincing ourselves that this is just the beginning of a fresh stream to come.
Perfectly balanced, as all things should be
This week, it’s all about maintaining the balance. It’s about knowing how to strike the perfect balance between work, education and life in general, and also about knowing when to quit. Check out page 3 and page 5 for more.Edi
Do users really need those?
Social media users are seemingly sceptical of the government’s move to introduce home-grown alternatives to Facebook, WhatsApp and other digital platforms.
World Indigenous Day, rethinking workplace equality and more
On August 9, the world observed World Indigenous Day this year. This day is significant in the sense that it urges everyone to be aware of the beautiful thing that is diversity and be more inclusive.
Gender gap in mobile phone usage remains to be closed, study finds
GSMA, an industry organisation that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide has recently published a report on the gender gap in mobile use.
Closing the gap, and others
A recent study has shown a significant gender gap in the use of mobile phones, the internet and mobile financial services, with women lagging behind in all parameters.
Chinmay Tumbe's 'The Age of Pandemics': Lessons from history in desperate times
Chinmay Tumbe’s The Age of Pandemics (1817-1920): How They Shaped India and the World (HarperCollins, 2020) is a timely read, touching upon three historic pandemics and the effects they had on the culture, economy, and politics of the Indian subcontinent.
A gendered perspective on freelancing and more
It’s been quite some years since the freelancing sector has opened vast career opportunities in our country, and women, no matter how it seems, are not left behind entirely.
The Birangona in fiction: ‘1971’ and ‘Talaash’
In this addition to this series, following up on the previous installment’s focus on nonfiction narratives of Birangonas’s lives and experiences, we recall Tarashankar Bandopadhyay’s '1971' (2015) and Shaheen Akhtar’s 'Talaash' (2004), two books that can be considered as significant exceptions to the trend mentioned above, and also as examples of the politics of representation, objectification of women, and the desensitisation of lived experiences of trauma.
Jamuna’s investment in Evaly: What does it actually mean?
Since yesterday, one of the most talked-about topics in Bangladeshi social media is industrial conglomerate Jamuna Group’s announcement of investing up to Tk 1,000 crore in the e-commerce platform Evaly. The sheer figure astounded many as it is the largest amount of investment the country has ever seen in its e-commerce industry. Initially, Jamuna Group will invest Tk 200 crore, and the rest in phases.
74th Cannes Film Festival: Award-winning films that deserve our attention
The 74th Cannes Film Festival has been very special to all of us with “Rehana Maryam Noor,” directed by Abdullah Mohammad Saad being the first ever film from Bangladesh to make it to the official selections and the crew’s dazzling presence in the festival. While the hype with “Rehana Maryam Noor” is stronger than ever, there are some brilliant award-winning films at the festival that deserve the attention of cinephiles as well. Today, we bring you six such films that dazzled the audience and the critics with their cinematic brilliance at Cannes.
Prepare for a new generation of foldable phones from Google, Samsung, and others
Google and Samsung, as well as several Chinese manufacturers, are set to introduce multiple foldable phones with flexible materials later this year, reports The Elec. The Chinese manufacturers include Honor, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi. According to reports, the devices will use UTG technology and panels from Samsung Display, BOE, or CSOT said the report.
From startups to radiology to Netflix: we got you covered
From startups to radiology to Netflix: we got you covered
The Generations of Nostalgia at Dhaka University
What was it like for our parents, who went to Dhaka University decades ago?
The future of supermarkets is here, thanks to Alibaba
More than 200 Freshippo supermarkets are open in China, operating as ultra-high-tech supermarkets. In these shops, blue polo clad pickers examine shelves with iPhones, scanning barcodes to find the exact brand of oranges, or spice mixes that match online orders. Items are placed in a bag, attached to the automated conveyor system, and whisked up and out to the back of the store to the delivery motorbikes.
How a group of rural freelancers made internet available at flat rate across the country
On June 6, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), fixed the maximum tariff for broadband internet across the country at Tk 500 a month for using a broadband connection with a minimum internet speed of 5 Mbps. Behind the scenes, the credit goes to a small community of freelancers in Kushtia who have been campaigning for internet equality for the last 5 years or so. This is their story.
‘One Country, One Rate’ and other stories you need to know about
Earlier this month, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the country’s telecom regulator, fixed the maximum tariff for broadband internet connection at BDT 500 a month for using a broadband connection with a minimum internet speed of 5 Mbps.
Remembering the Birangona: The power of personal narratives
The books we recall today, Ami Birangona Bolchi (1994), Rising from the Ashes (2001), and The Spectral Wound (2015), are among the documentations which highlight women’s voices and their perspectives of 1971.
Choosing a photo storage service: Finding alternatives to Google Photos
Last November, Google announced that as of June 1st, its unlimited photo storage service was being changed to up to 15GB on the user’s Google
Editor’s Note
While the danger of what seems to the ever-evolving variants of the coronavirus still looms large over our heads, the black fungus has made an
Why I’m Still Not Over Arnob’s “Chaina Bhabish”
The debut studio album was released on June 1, 2005.
Netflix plans to expand into the gaming industry by 2022
The move comes at a time when the video gaming industry has benefited from a surge in demand from gamers staying at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, Netflix has more than 200 million subscribers it can reach with games.
Managing many things at once: Do we have what it takes?
Side hustles seem like a lucrative opportunity to many, but can we really pull it off? In today’s feature, we talk about some myths regarding side hustles and share facts about what it takes to fully pull it off.
June 26, 2020
ICU Finder: Website on info for corona patients
The ongoing coronavirus crisis is taking a heavy toll on our already fragile healthcare system. Newer problems are arising every day including lack of testing facilities, specialised care and ICU units for critical patients.
June 19, 2020
Project Gronthomogol: Pashe Achhi Initiative in aid of the Nilkhet booksellers
The lockdown situation due to the coronavirus crisis took a heavy toll on a lot of small enterprises. Nilkhet, an ancient book-hub of the capital is no exception to this.
June 13, 2020
Project Gronthomongol: Pashe Achhi Initiative in aid of the Nilkhet booksellers
Members of Pashe Achhi Initiative, who are working to provide relief efforts through crowdfunding for the underprivileged in the times of the current crisis, were struck by the sufferings that the Nilkhet booksellers and their employees are going through.
June 12, 2020
Tech and art reconnects lost memories of forgotten places: The tale of Uronto Artist Community
The community creates opportunities to connect cultural histories through coexisting and co-creating through collaboration between artists from diverse backgrounds, gaining access to memories that inspire creative workers and empower current generations with knowledge.
May 2, 2020
A tribute to Satyajit Ray's film-making techniques
He used the various technicalities of filmmaking to express this language to the fullest. His preference for using lights and shadows in various angles to dramatise certain situations in the story was evident from his very first film. Exploring the appropriate use of different types of shots, close shots, pan shots, long shots to frame the flow of events in a lyrical manner with the limited technology available at that time was his speciality.
March 29, 2020
Mythbuster: Circulating accurate information regarding coronavirus through games
Misinformation is a way more complicated problem when it comes to dealing with any sort of crisis like the Corona pandemic that we are currently going through. When it comes to a country like ours where people still have a long way to go in terms of distinguishing between facts and myths, things can get even tougher. People focus more on chewing Thankuni leaves and less on hygiene and washing their hands frequently to prevent the disease.
March 27, 2020
Political films in Bengali: The legacy of Satyajit, Ritwik, and Mrinal
A political film can be described as an instrument that kindles consciousness in the viewer about the injustice and exploitation prevailing in society. The making of a political film depends on the freedom of expression that a filmmaker has. Political films can be differentiated from purely historical films in the sense that political films make way for self-criticism of the viewer. It essentially differs from a propaganda film, because it involves taking a stance, which usually implies standing with the oppressed.
February 7, 2020
Did we hit a digital landmark through DCC Mayoral Elections 2020?
The Mayoral elections of the Dhaka City Corporations in 2020 is the first election in Bangladesh where all the polling centres of the city ran the voting procedures with EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines).
January 24, 2020
Activism in the age of technology and social media
Just when the news of a Dhaka University student getting raped in the capital was taking the country by storm, a group of students of the university came up with a unique way to protest and demand for justice.
January 24, 2020
Three apps to prepare you for the GRE
GRE or Graduate Record Examination is a prerequisite exam for those who want to go for higher studies in a range of universities in the US and in some of the most prestigious universities in Canada and Australia.
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