Shamsad Mortuza

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Dr Shamsad Mortuza is a professor of English at Dhaka University, and former pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

KUET protests and the evolving student-university relations

KUET has exposed systemic weakness in conflict resolution.

5d ago

The sorry state of our green passports

Bangladeshi passports are ranked among the weakest in the world.

1w ago

Homecoming with a purpose

The challenge for us is to retain quality in a system with resistance.

2w ago

The pervasive curse of toxic masculinity

The real issue here is power and control over women’s bodies and space.

3w ago

Eid in a time of uncertainty and change

To bring back confidence, the rule of law must be established.

1m ago

Building a future for Bangladeshi football

To make the imported inspiration sustainable, we need to create an ecosystem for our players.

1m ago

Will the UN chief’s visit put the focus back on the Rohingya issue?

The Rohingya refugees in the Cox’s Bazar camps are about to face a situation worse than they have been enduring.

1m ago

Why Bangladeshis flee for medical treatment, and how to stop it

In 2023, there was a 48 percent spike in the number of outgoing Bangladeshi patients compared to the previous year.

1m ago
June 29, 2024
June 29, 2024

Breaking chains through whistleblowing

Why does it matter for us when a foreign individual is free after such a long time?

June 27, 2024
June 27, 2024

‘Begum’s Blunder’ shines in Wilde splendour

Begum’s Blunder is a clever adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan. The play transports the Victorian setting to the imaginary Behrampur, the heyday of the Nawabs in India. With Naila Azad Nupur’s direction, and Sadaf Saaz working her behind-the-scenes magic as the producer, the production by Kaleidoscope projects lights on the prism of Wilde’s 1892 play to find their contemporary refractions and reflections in colonial India.

June 22, 2024
June 22, 2024

A monologue on the beasts among us

As I stand before the heap of fresh meat, my thoughts turn to the slain politician who was hacked to death

June 15, 2024
June 15, 2024

P for Private, P for PhD

The UGC's decision to allow private universities to offer PhD programmes is a timely move.

June 8, 2024
June 8, 2024

Our love-hate relationship with university rankings

A prestigious ranking system naming Dhaka University as the top university in Bangladesh makes us revisit that love-hate stance.

June 2, 2024
June 2, 2024

Spare us the hypocrisy

Moral policing by the West, when its own hypocrisy comes out through its actions controvening international law, one cannot help feeling bemused.

May 25, 2024
May 25, 2024

Dhaka’s transport turmoil

Dhaka is the world's rickshaw capital

May 18, 2024
May 18, 2024

The aurora enigma: Science and myths

The interplay between myths and scientific explanations of auroras illustrates human being’s capacity to find meaning in the natural world.

May 11, 2024
May 11, 2024

A slice of the university pie

The utilitarian value of a university must reflect the institution's inherent value.

May 4, 2024
May 4, 2024

One, two, three of social deceptions

What people like Milton Samaddar and Tipu Kibria show us about society.