Can our walls make space for our dissent?
The walls of Dhaka city represent the volume and chaos of thousands of people jostling for ever-shrinking space.
3m ago
4 books I was grateful to read this year
It's true, I feel differently about books that I previously disliked or enjoyed reading and books that I want as a physical presence in my life
4m ago
Outliers take centre-stage in Shah Tazrian Ashrafi’s debut collection
It’s hard not to recall our many conversations about literature as I try to summarise Shah Tazrian Ashrafi’s debut collection of short stories. They were always short discussions, opening and closing off in spurts, as happens over text. Exclamations over a new essay collection by Zadie Smith, or a new novel by Isabel Allende.
5m ago
Rifat Munim on Bangladeshi fiction: ‘This is a diverse terrain you are going to tread on’
In the foreword, I wanted to capture how I, as a child, grew up listening to different stories: ghost stories, mythical stories from both Sanatana and Islamic religious scriptures, and fairy tales from 'Thakurmar Jhuli', compiled by Dakkhinaranjan Mitra Majumdar. It was a time when there were no boundaries for my imagination.
9m ago
The first semester is your shitty first draft
Like many veterans, I joined a creative writing MFA program because I wanted to evolve as a writer.
10m ago
A glimpse of the Istanbul we don’t know
Here was a woman who was but a dot amidst the throngs of people who watched the Bosphorus Bridge being opened in October 1973, as fireworks erupted over a Turkey that now seamed Asia to Europe.
1y ago
In conversation with South Asia’s preeminent literary agent, Kanishka Gupta
I always tell the authors to make subjective, qualitative decisions. So many of my authors say no to higher offers from publishing houses if they don’t feel comfortable with the publisher or editor.
1y ago
A bookstore is a time machine—Zeenat Book Supply through the ages
Last week, one of Dhaka’s oldest bookstores announced that they will be closing shop after running for 60 years
1y ago
November 3, 2016
A Timely Portrayal of a Classic
Scholastica's senior students of the Senior Campus Uttara showcased Animal Farm through a Bangla lens at their annual production on October 27-28, 2016.
October 31, 2016
Who determines our age?
Agirl with dark skin, unruly hair or a plump figure gets called out – to her face or behind her back – for not being beautiful.
October 27, 2016
Café Society – Charming but disappointing
Fans of Woody Allen are used to his quirky forays into cultural icons, from a 1970s' “Love Letter to New York” to literary Paris in the Jazz Age.
October 20, 2016
In the Green Room of a Teacher's Performance
On stage, we watch as the teacher turns to scrawl on the board, commanding pin-drop silence and claiming to have a third eye in the back of her head. What we don't know is the racket going on backstage – in her mind – and the labour that goes into constructing the performance. You'd be surprised and awed to find out the details.
October 8, 2016
Are we doing enough for our children?
I used to harass girls on their way to school. Now I create awareness among my peers that girls must be treated with respect and dignity.
October 5, 2016
Why aren't we open to learning?
Innumerable conversations in the media are addressing how education policies and teaching methods in Bangladesh need to change.
October 1, 2016
Fighting ageism in Bangladesh
Requent illness or even just feeling unwell is a part of aging. In developed countries the wellbeing of its senior citizens is seen
September 19, 2016
Gory scenes that should have been avoided
While tackling Dhaka's drainage issues is a long-term issue, the city corporation's initiative to provide sites for the animal sacrifices on Eid was indeed noteworthy. What's baffling is why the general public seems to have been unaware of such initiatives.
September 6, 2016
The Literature of Economics
Economics has long held a reputation of being an inaccessible social science. We are daunted by its intricacies, technicalities and ambiguities.
May 26, 2016
Inside a Bully's Mind
One day during school hours at an English medium school in Dhaka, 9th grader Rahul Chowdhury wished to play table tennis while some other students were already playing.
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