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
August 22, 2015
August 22, 2015

REMEMBERING YASMIN

A 14-year-old girl got on the wrong bus on her way to Dinajpur from Dhaka. Upon realising her mistake, she stepped out of the bus, and was looking for another way home, when a police van stopped in front of her.

July 14, 2015
July 14, 2015

In the name of religion

When did you forget what Zakat actually means? When did the month of Ramadan become a ostentatious show of wealth and affluence?

June 29, 2015
June 29, 2015

CAR PARKS OVER HERITAGE SITES!

When part of an age-old heritage site is wrecked, for whatsoever reason, you expect individuals and groups to be up in arms, protesting against the destruction of a symbol that was supposed to have been left untouched by modern trappings and trimmings.

May 14, 2015
May 14, 2015

Silencing our outcry

WHY should the police brutality on protesters come as a surprise? They felt 'obliged' to act on the behalf of their helpless compatriots who only had a few guns and shells to protect themselves against the onslaught of (defenceless) protesters.

April 14, 2015
April 14, 2015

Wise words

Rajai rajai juddho korey, ulukhagrar pran jai.

April 9, 2015
April 9, 2015

What you can expect from your city's mayor

FOR ordinary people living in Bangladesh, the process preceding the city corporation elections is not merely limited to listening to long, never-ending speeches about what the aspiring mayoral candidate can do for your city.

March 6, 2015
March 6, 2015

SALMA KHATUN THE CRICKETING WONDER

Earlier this year, the International Cricket Council announced that Salma topped the ICC T20 all-rounder rankings with 291 rating points, clearly four points ahead of Sri Lanka's Shashikala Siriwardene.

March 6, 2015
March 6, 2015

Be Selfish For Once

My mother suffered from stomach ailments for over a year before she told anyone about it.

February 27, 2015
February 27, 2015

The Bizarre, the Weird and the Fantastic

In my two years working with The Star, I had the opportunity to contribute to this wonderful magazine in a number of capacities. I wrote features, often helped with the editing and collected the entries for Star Diary and Write to Mita. Of all these responsibilities, I felt a particular affinity for Star Diary.

February 20, 2015
February 20, 2015

STORY OF THE BANGLA PRESS

A teacher of a small village was so overwhelmed by the atrocities of the landowners or zamindars of colonial India that he decided to write something in protest.