City in Frame
Juicy, flavourful pineapples of Madhupur flood markets
Pineapples grown in orchards of Madhupur upazila are known for their flavour and sweetness. Farmers say yield is good this year,
A pigeon lovers’ paradise
If you are a bird lover, the pigeon market in Nayabati of Khulna’s Khalishpur is the place for you. Every
A day at the circus
Once a vibrant source of entertainment, the circus industry now fights for survival. Circus companies once travelled the country, especially during winter, showcasing the impressive acts of their skilled artists.
Jabbarer Boli Khela
Like each year, Jabbarer Boli Khela took place at the Laldighi Maidan in Chattogram on April 25. Sixty wrestlers took part in the 114th edition of the historic tournament.
It’s mango time
The mangoes of Satkhira have already won hearts at home and abroad. For the ninth time, farmers in the district are expected to export mangoes to different destinations including Germany, Italy France, Denmark, and the UK this season.
A cry for water
Over 100 families of at least 90 Mro neighbourhoods in Bandarban and its foothills face a severe water crisis almost every year, especially from January to May.
Crisis engulfing rivers of south
To protect croplands from saline water, a 4,800km embankment was built between 1961 and 1971 in the country’s southern coastal area.
Aman research: Gangarampur offers a ray of hope
In Gangarampur village of Khulna’s Batiaghata, a local farmers’ platform and a voluntary organisation have been researching Aman rice since 2009.
A Decade of Inclusivity
Sporsho Braille Prokashona celebrated the completion of its decade-long journey through a day-long festival at Bangla Academy on
Celebrating The Life Of A Great Teacher
The three-day long “Zainul Utsab and Zainul Mela”, held at Charukola (Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University), drew admirers from all walks of life. It was a testament to the artist's enduring legacy and timeless relevance. The festivities commemorated the Shilpacharya's 103rd birth anniversary. Paintings, sculptures, busts, ceramic statuettes, entire installments and photographs were all on display, available for perusal and purchase. The celebration put together quite a display, showing the prowess of Bangladesh's art body. Many of the selected motifs incorporated and honoured Bangladesh's culture, traditions and beliefs. Charukola organised the event at the Bokultola part of the institute. The festival also featured a photography exhibition, poter gaan, a...
Parked On Pavements
The footpaths of Dhaka often have a lot fewer feet on them. Pavements across the city are turned into makeshift shops, parking spots and even car repair shops. In a city already choked by lack of space, whatever little room remains for pedestrians is encroached upon. Cars and bikes are seen parking on the footpaths, even if there is a sign explicitly warning against such actions. Shops are set up forcing pedestrians on the road and right in front of traffic. The culture of impunity and a sense of perverse entitlement exacerbate the situation. While there are laws, no one is around to enforce them. The lack of parking space is another issue. Commercial buildings rise towards the sky with the fanciest of shops and offices generally forgoing the need for providing designated parking. Some...
Warming up in Winter With Pithas
The descending fog never fails to merge with the delicious steam wafting from plates of pithas, a winter favourite in Bangladesh. Come the chill, street corners transform into tiny food courts, offering the best of pithas, a type of rice cake. Traditional favourites such as chitoi pitha, dudh puli, tel er pitha, bhapa, patishapta and many others are sold for affordable prices. Where once, homemakers began toiling over creating the delicacies, nowadays city dwellers can go absolutely anywhere for their fill of this tasty treat. Streets in Shahbagh, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Farmgate and in front of Bashundhara City all offer pithas. Available in both sweet and sour flavours, with helpings of milk, coconut, jaggery, shutki and a lot of other ingredients, it's hard not to have a favourite...
Magic of The Mountains
The five-day Mountain Fair held at Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka came to an end this week. The fair attracted people from all walks of life, offering them a chance to celebrate the diversity of cultures present in the mountains of Bangladesh. The event was organised to mark International Mountain Day 2017. Over the five days, visitors were dazzled by numerous cultural performances by indigenous groups. There were also stalls showcasing various handicrafts and food of the highlanders. The grounds of Shilpakala were also designed to recreate the highlands, providing a peek into the day to day life of the indigenous community. The theme for this year's festival was "Mountains under Pressure: climate, hunger, migration". The fair consisted of 55 stalls offering food, clothing...
Wild Flavours From Wild Fish
As canals, ponds, and rivers dry up around the country, it proves to be fortuitous for fishermen. With fish farms facing a lull, wild fish have begun flooding the market. These fish are highly favoured by fish lovers given their taste and natural freshness. Koi, katal, pangash and chitol are among some of the wild fish found in the markets of Karwan Bazar, Shantinagar and Jhigatola. The prices of the wild fish are a bit higher. Where a rui or rohu from a farm will set one back around Tk 300, a wild rui will cost between Tk 350-400. Wild fish are considered to be more nutritious and come winter, they arrive as another treasured bounty of the season. Apart from canals and ponds, the rivers Padma, Meghna, Jamuna and Halda are other water bodies from where these fish are caught.
Winter Means Vegetables
Come winter, as we prolong our slumber, the earth seems to wake up with a vigour. Under blankets of mist, far from the sun's glare, the ground comes alive, sprouting the tastiest vegetables of the year. The trees too refuse to miss out, dangling delights that satiate even the most critical of palates. Areas of Munshiganj, Savar and Keraniganj become busy harvesting the fruits of their labours come winter. Delicacies such as lal shakh (red amaranth), pumpkin, bottle gourd, cabbage and others are all grown around the city, meeting its dwellers' growing demand. However, farmers say the cost of both purchasing and growing the vegetables have increased over the years meaning a rise in prices is inevitable. But a growing supply aims to keep costs within the reach of the common people.
Making Them Smile
On a wintry morning in the northern district of Rajshahi, about 100 people joined a queue in front of the Janata Bank's Halidagachhi
The Flight of Rainbows
Have you ever seen a rainbow fly? There is a place in the port city for one to witness just that. Here, the slightest disturbance will awaken
The Disappearing Hillock
Illegal stone extraction by vested quarters has led to the disappearance of the Shah Arefin Tila in Companiganj of Sylhet district. The mazar of the sufi saint Shah Arefin Mokam and the hillock encompassed an area of 137.50 acres of government khas land. Influential traders, taking advantage of the loopholes in the law, steadily excavated the stones, erasing an important part of the country's history and removing any trace of the knoll. Every year, many workers lost their lives while extracting the stones from the area. On January 23, some five workers were killed while lifting stone from a quarry in the area. Two others lost their lives at the same site a few weeks before.