Essentially a research-based, artist-run, non-profit organisation, Brihatta Art Foundation has worked in Dhaka for quite some time. With an objective to integrate locals in community development, they have given the people of Hazaribagh greater accessibility to art and culture.
I went to the Lalbagh area last Saturday to finalise an interesting project for My Dhaka readers (stay tuned), but this business meet-and-greet was unlike any I had ever attended or conducted.
An artistic mind finds inspiration even in the mundane details of life. It makes the ordinary extraordinary. The smell of frying omelettes, the stirring sound of the spoon in a teacup, the sight of a mother oiling her daughter’s hair, or an old man reading a newspaper -- any of these can spark a fancy in their mind.
This year’s Pahela Baishakh celebrations will be lacklustre, as many pundits suggest.
Experiencing a “kalbaishakhi jhor” inside the mangrove forest of Sundarbans can be both a spine-chilling experience or a romantic one.
As Ramadan concluded at the end of last month, beckoning the arrival of Eid festivities, there was a lot of buzz on social media regarding “Eid gifts”.
The last two days before the grand Eid day are packed with frenzied fuss about anything and everything.
Tailors typically enjoy star status at this time of the year. Besides your regular tailor, who takes your bespoke orders for dresses; there are tailors for upholstery work, who are no less busy and sought after now.
The flow of life is punctuated with ups and downs, and amid this unpredictability, we make friends for a lifetime. We fall in love; we volunteer even to adopt love.
In a thicket of Mahagony, Segun, and Raintrees, the Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus is a rolling 697.56 acres of topographical beauty. A few kilometres from the main city on the Dhaka-Aricha highway, the JU campus can be your next weekend outing.
My grandmother, whom I fondly called Bubu, used to bring us batashas -- a sugar candy -- from her visits to her homeland in Pirojpur, Barishal. She would tell us it was a tabarak or shinni, which is a sweet gift or grace from her visits to Holy places.
November in the tropics has its own weather mix. From a storm brewing at the Bay to roaring gusty wind, to a scorching sunny day, dewy evening, and foggy dawn -- Dhaka’s weather in this month cannot be explained.
It is duck season, period. Even if winter is nowhere to be seen or felt, the local kitchen markets are quacking up a fat duck show to tease our cravings.
Pink is often considered the colour that defines femininity. Thus, in October, which marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a pink ribbon is often used to raise awareness about breast cancer. This practice has been in place since the 90s.
A charcoal black druid’s bowl with a rough and aged look, caught my attention while surfing social media. Initially, I thought it must be an antique piece of medieval pottery up for sale on some transcontinental site, but instead, I found it to be a local product from the brand Boho Bangladesh, promoting a sustainable natural lifestyle; it blew my mind.
What is the best thing about Sharat, you ask? For me, it is the change in the city’s breeze, in the soft, golden rays of the sun, and yes, the clear azure sky, with floating white fluffy clouds.
For the gardeners of urban Dhaka, it’s time to prepare for winter flowers. One might say it’s too early, but October is when you need to prune your roses and feed them with compost, besides preparing beds and soil for other winter blooms.
Dhaka is moody; and politically charged with high-strung residents, colours of the city change every day, some good things happen and some not so good. But it is always exciting.
