Naveed Mahbub

HUMOROUSLY YOURS

The writer is an engineer at Ford & Qualcomm USA and CEO of IBM & Nokia Siemens Networks Bangladesh turned comedian (by choice), the host of ABC Radio's Good Morning Bangladesh and the founder of Naveed's Comedy Club. E-mail: naveed@naveedmahbub.com

When Harry Met Salary

When Harry met Meghan, two things were set in motion.

4y ago

Heavy New Year

The legendary ball drops at New York City’s Time Square, the Sydney Opera House is all lit up from fireworks as are the Eiffel Tower and many other landmarks around the world, not to mention the countless non-descript ones.

4y ago

The smog was the limit

Everyone knows you are the sharpest officer, but be prepared to put “Maj. (Retd.)” before your name once you hang up your uniform for good. Ok, maybe not. Since you stand out so much from the rest, you’ll advance further, to the rank of Lt. Col., tops. Ok? Now go, finish up your staff college and be happy with “PSC” at the end of your name and stop dreaming of adding an NDC (National Defense College) on your business card.

4y ago

Have None, Will Travel

You want to now pack me up and send me to Timbuktu?” yells Dennis Palmer, sitting at the head of the table in the meeting room.

4y ago

Every breath you take

Neither Pink Floyd nor the Pink Panther had anything to do with Bangladesh’s pink wash, but the good thing is that Bangladesh at least didn’t let India play for a good two days during the first test. In fact, the runs of our boys in the first innings were 0,1,8,1,6,0,0,0,4, which together was perhaps a cryptic message to Robi to once again pick up the team sponsorship.

4y ago

To Cut or Not to Cut

When a cyclone is named Bulbul, chances are people, at least in Bangladesh, won’t take it seriously. And we are Bangladeshis—what freaks us out is not a number 9 signal, but the lowest number

5y ago

Indecent Proposal

A bit more about “special” rooms from my column a few weeks ago, when Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) was in the news for the wrong reasons. It’s room 429, Nazrul Islam Hall.

5y ago

The last and the ludicrous

Hats off to the Ministry of Public Administration for taking the bold step of introducing paternity leave. Better be clear though about the cap on the number of such leaves, else we will have a population explosion 2.0.

5y ago
May 20, 2017
May 20, 2017

Gold Finger

You have a son and you worry about that boy. You have a daughter and you have to worry about every boy on the block, because not every parent is worrying about his/her boy.

April 28, 2017
April 28, 2017

Who is Daddy's Girl?

Let's face it, if there is anyone we love the most, it's ourselves. It is probably the biggest waste of human cells to have a pair of ears –

April 21, 2017
April 21, 2017

United we stand, overbooked we fall

My show hosts in Dallas, Texas treat me to a sumptuous biryani dinner. Being a wise man with an early morning flight the following

April 14, 2017
April 14, 2017

Big Sister is watching you

I have to admit that after all these years of marriage, I still haven't given my wife the legendary football sized, ok, cricket ball sized, ok, ping pong ball sized, ok, marble sized, ok, pellet sized diamond ring.

March 31, 2017
March 31, 2017

Inverse to distance

There will be so much winning that all will get tired of winning and beg, “Stop! We can't take this [the winning] anymore.” The heads will spin.

March 25, 2017
March 25, 2017

Lapbottom

Biman, capitalise on it! “Fly directly to London, do not pass [through] the Middle East, do not collect a baggage tag for your laptop.”

March 17, 2017
March 17, 2017

The Lateral Samaritans

Being a compassionate husband, I give my wife company during all her cravings throughout her pregnancy. As a result, both of us are competing when it comes to the size of our bellies. We almost get a buy-one-get-one-free ultra sonogram deal.

March 11, 2017
March 11, 2017

Handsome in Pink

Saturday. The wife is 400 miles away attending her MBA classes at University of California Berkeley. I am at the Torrey Pines Beach in San Diego, California.

March 3, 2017
March 3, 2017

The ever obliging hostages

The hiring manager at Takata Inc. in Farmington Hills, Michigan tells me, “We have seen tons of engineers, but none who has been in a Pepsi TV commercial.”

February 24, 2017
February 24, 2017

Guilty until proven innocent

Though I insist on his giving me the full address and directions to his home, he says with confidence, “Come to the Bakshi Bazaar