Spotlight
Jahangirnagar University crisis - mired in a stalemate
Amidst all the commotion at Jahangirnagar University, this issue of the Star Weekend attempts to discern the trajectory of the disaster by sieving it through a chronological timeline, collated from reports published in The Daily Star and other major national newspapers. We start from the reappointment of the VC and take the reader through all that has happened till date, all that has brought this renowned academic institution to a standstill.This timeline is certainly not exhaustive. What it demands of the reader is discernment, analysis and conscious awareness of the ever-persistent, wider issues that these events represent. Where does it all begin, and where does it end? Why should a public university be in such a place to begin with?
East Jurain: Worst place to live in Dhaka?
Ashraful Islam, a retired government official, built a two-story house in Dhaka’s east Jurain neighbourhood in 1996. He spent his forty years of savings and even exhausted his wife’s fixed deposit to build this dwelling.
Stone- Crushers Dying of silicosis, failed by courts
Burimari union, a border village nestling in a nook of the Indian district of Cooch Behar, is a village of stones and stone-crushing yards.
Jamdani: A fabric of then and now
Along the banks of the Sitalakhya river in Narayanganj, some 20 villages in Sonargaon, Rupganj, and Siddhirganj in particular, women villagers starch yarn in lime and toasted rice to make warp yarn—the vertical, lengthwise weaves that make up a fabric.
TERROR RISING
The latest, but probably not the last, victim of this culture of impunity is Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of the electrical and electronic engineering department of Bangladesh University of Science and Technology (BUET).
A long, hard look at our teachers
For months, our public universities have been erupting in protests, with students demanding some very basic things: vice-chancellors who are not corrupt, teachers who cannot bribe their way into the university, student political wings who do not extort or oppress (or murder), effective sexual harassment policies, and freedom of expression.
Youth against fear and injustice
The public universities, old and new, are in quite a sorry state. It seems that these institutions exist only to offer support for the government’s misrule.
The story of Teesta
The story of Teesta begins 23,386 ft above the sea-level at the Pahunri glacier nestled between the Tibet and India border.
10 Songs that Inspire
At the advent of a new dawn on December 16 in 1971, the people of Bangladesh had something to be proud of -- a country of their own, an identity as a liberated nation. For months together, stories of atrocities committed by the Pakistani soldiers and the collaborators were flowing in from all corners of the country.
A Platform for Cartoon Lovers
Cartoon People is a community that is testament to the adage that you can find your inner artist at any age.
Shishu Park hoping for a better future
As the ever-memorable song starts playing, children, sitting on the metallic horsebacks, delightfully start going round and round. 35-year-old Salma Akter holds her daughter Taskia (3), who is too young to manage herself on the ride.
All the World's a Stage: DU at the 9th Asia Pacific Bureau
The stage was set, the lights dimmed. Silence.
How to Salvage the Lost Paradise: Saint Martin's
“Bangladesh is a gorgeous damsel and the jewel in her forehead is Saint Martin's Island,” a quote that rightly explains the indescribable beauty of Bangladesh's only coral island.
A History of Breaking Barriers
You are sitting in the audience row, waiting for a group of children ready to perform. The music starts playing.
The Workers' Revolution
When Rokeya Khatun was in college her father suffered from a cancerous tumour. This led to her family struggle with finances. The strain of earning money became hectic day by day.
The Common Man's Art
Bangladeshi rickshaws are a kaleidoscope of colours, interesting quotations and intricately painted stories.
Beyond Flush and Forget
Asadul, a bus driver of the Dhaka-Comilla route, just reached Sayedabad after a five-hour drive from Comilla.
A King without a Crown
Ever visited the narrow zigzag streets of Tanti Bazaar in the old part of Dhaka? One such narrow lane is called 'Pannitola', where once lived the legends-- Subhash Dutta, Nitun Kundu, Jhantu Das and many more.