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.
LOOKING FOR A BETTER PLAN
“Books - check. Pens and pencils - check. Rain coat - check. Umbrella - check. Old knee boots - check." – a part of the daily check lists made by 21-year-old Fatimah Sifat. Studying final year BBA at a private university, Fatimah prepares herself for the worst,
A LONG WAIT
“Dada, Dada, mahre basa!” – the last words Kalindi Kumar Chakma heard from his sister after she was taken away from his side.
The Song of the Sea
One day, during the gruesome Calcutta riot (1946), a curious boy escaped the strict surveillance of his phupu (paternal aunt), Salema Khatun.
A promising new era
During the recent mayoral elections of Dhaka, Junaid Saki, a mayoral candidate of Dhaka North City Corporation, became a popular figure among the city dwellers.
Surviving the Catastrophe
After heavy storms and winds that wrecked an entire village, 300 makeshift houses were built on a dilapidated dam in 2009.
TORTURED, KILLED AND ABANDONED
On May 1, 2015, a shallow mass grave was discovered by some villagers collecting mushrooms deep inside a jungle of Thailand's Songkhla province.
FROM A FADING ERA
Modern technology has bulldozed over many age-long practices and professions. Fortunately, a few still survive to tell the tales of days gone by. Those who are nostalgic about the olden days can seek out these rare services and reminisce about a very different, fast disappearing culture.
YOU'VE GOT SNAIL MAIL
An average day at the General Post Office (GPO) in Gulistan starts as early as 7:30 in the morning.
TO POST OR NOT TO POST
While social media has facilitated people's right of expressing their opinions on different issues, at times users' personal opinions, or extreme views on issues like sexism, racism, religion, politics, even cricket, also stir controversy leading to a conflict.
BANNING NOT A SOLUTION
The main thing to establish is not that the freedom of expression is being controlled but that the culture of impunity is to be removed from the said 'expression'.