Upashana Salam

Journalist at The Daily Star. upashanasalam@gmail.com

Making markets work for SDGs

AS Bangladesh is growing at an exponential speed, its markets are expanding in such ways where intervention is necessary, thereby

5y ago

Firms being equipped to build inclusive business models

When we talk about support for the bottom of the economic pyramid, our endeavours might seem somewhat myopic. Financial aid can only help to an extent. As for corporate social responsibility, one might argue it's just another form of charity that is not systematic or sustainable in the grander scheme of things.

5y ago

Lessons we should have learned from her murder

When 14-year-old Yasmin Akhter was reassured by some police officers that they would drop her home after she missed her bus to Dhaka from Dinajpur, she probably didn't think twice about it. Like many of us, she probably believed that she would be safe with these protectors of law.

7y ago

The right to a safe workplace

Safety in workplace is a given for most of us. If you are reading this newspaper, there is a high likelihood that you don't have to worry about the walls crumbling around you or the floor collapsing right beneath your feet.

7y ago

Prelude to a spreading nightmare

The recent flash floods in the haor regions exemplify the threat of climate change that looms over Bangladesh. It signifies our

7y ago

Folkloric Bangladesh

Bangla folk literature has always celebrated a rich tapestry of themes, from heroic religious narratives depicted in ballads and dramas, to the mundane struggles of life reflected in witty proverbs and riddles. These folk tales, many of which have been passed down through generations orally, reflect the diversity of our different ethnic, linguistic and religious groups. This Pahela Baishakh, we invite you on a journey that takes us back to our roots.

7y ago

Rights – as elusive as ever

When buying a product in Bangladesh, apart from the usual concerns about its price and quality, consumers have to worry about whether the product they buy, including life-saving drugs and baby food, can cause actual harm to their health or even be fatal to them.

7y ago

Opinion: A dangerous precedent

In what appears to be yet another show of false bravado and power, a group of Awami League men allegedly assaults a school headmaster, because he refused to endorse their candidate as a teacher of his school.

7y ago
November 23, 2016
November 23, 2016

Opinion: When stalkers enjoy impunity

None of us can fathom the pain, the helplessness of a father who has been maimed for life for protesting the harassment of his daughters by stalkers, while he learns that the perpetrators are allowed to roam free, threatening further torture to his family if he refuses to back down.

November 16, 2016
November 16, 2016

Are you serious, Pakistan?

In what can only be described as an absurd, uninformed, and demeaning move, the federal government of Pakistan has decided to demand its “outstanding amount” of Rs 15.25 billion from Bangladesh and India.

November 5, 2016
November 5, 2016

Glaring Death Traps

Can we imagine the extent to which we are magnifying the consequences of allowing uninterrupted faulty placements of power and cable lines?

November 2, 2016
November 2, 2016

Isn't it time we stop shooting the messenger?

Recently, a video of two television journalists being attacked by staff of a popular private hospital in Dhaka has been doing the rounds of social media.

June 20, 2016
June 20, 2016

A Fierce Champion of Justice

While almost every woman in the country will cite her as their 'ideal', without necessarily knowing or having much idea about her immense contributions and sacrifices for the emancipation of women and marginalised groups, Sufia Kamal's life – one of constant struggles and obstacles – has, to use a glib phrase, been truly inspiring.

April 28, 2016
April 28, 2016

In sight but out of mind

This year Bangladesh exceeded all expectations, achieving a GDP rate of over 7 percent.

December 14, 2015
December 14, 2015

Mourning the death of visionaries

Today we mourn the loss of some of the brightest minds of our country. We mourn their cruel murder in the hands of a regime that

December 12, 2015
December 12, 2015

Rokeya's unrealised Dream

Feminism is considered an ugly word by many who have a passing acquaintance with it. An open assertion of being a feminist in social

October 14, 2015
October 14, 2015

THE QUARTET OF FREEDOM

Four years back, it would probably have been difficult for Tunisians to imagine that a coalition of the country's civil rights groups would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the near future.

September 23, 2015
September 23, 2015

Pritilata Waddedar: Politics of remembrance

Pritilata was much more than just a nurse or a sexual object as portrayed in the media; she wanted her death to mobilise women to join the fight against imperialism, to prove detractors wrong about their abilities.