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.
The Power of Social Media
Thanks to social media, the peaceful protests of the private university students reached the right people, when the government suddenly imposed a 7.5 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on private university education, earlier this year.
Dhaka Lit Fest: The Gathering of Literary Minds
There were words floating through the air. The beauty of words, the poetry in sentences, the effect they have on people, were all
The Story of a Tide
Over the years, Jaago Foundation and their volunteer wing VBD (Volunteer for Bangladesh) established their work, philosophy and work across the country. What started out as just a school for slum children, became one of the most popular and active youth organisations
Many Melodies, one Platform
The idea was initially to just make a platform, a platform for everyone who has anything to do with music. “We want to bring them all
As Questions Arise
"I will not be sending my children to their art classes this Friday," says 33-year-old Kishwar Sultana, a dentist who lives with her family in Boro Moghbazaar. Her children, a 6-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son, regularly attend art classes held every Friday at the
IT'S A MOJAR SCHOOL!
Take a walk in Kamlapur, Sadarghat or even Mirpur – and you will come across a unique setting with children of all ages grouped
Medhashmunir Ashram - A Sacred Haven
Medhashmunir Ashram, in Boalkhali, will not offer you innovative themed mandaps – all decked up with series of LED lights and the other usual puja extravaganzas.
The Exclusive Collection of AKM Enayet Kabir
A vast steel mass, disguised as a door, will open into a room that stops your breath at first sight. What you will witness will make you feel unreal for a slight second before you can swallow in the fact that you are, as off now, surrounded by more than just history.
Screaming......HAZARIBAGH
It is a very small and one of the most neglected parts of Dhaka; not only neglected but also hated. Most people refuse to go there if not
Working in Solitude
For artists and creators, night time is the best time to think, imagine and design. This is true for musicians, writers, chefs in many Old Dhaka restaurants and also graphic designers.