Elita Karim
Glad to be alive!
Singer; Writer; Editor of Arts and Entertainment, The Daily Star; Loves books, visuals, sleep and eating bowls of apples, pears and oranges.
Glad to be alive!
Singer; Writer; Editor of Arts and Entertainment, The Daily Star; Loves books, visuals, sleep and eating bowls of apples, pears and oranges.
It has been a couple of weeks at least since the Bangla New Year celebrations, which we lovingly refer to as Noboborsho. However, Coke Studio Bangla’s “Tati” is still dominating playlists. ‘Taanti’, or in this case “Tati”, refers to the craftsperson or the creator of fabrics, who works with the material called taant – depicting motifs, colourful borders, and softness to touch. Especially in this heat, a taant saree or a fatua is always a welcome addition to an average Bangladeshi wardrobe, allowing one to breathe easy and at the same time, look trendy.
It has been 81 years today since Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali polymath, poet, composer and the first Bengali Nobel Laureate, breathed his last. In these 81 years, much has changed in the world, including the modernisation of his compositions. Tagore’s songs—Rabindra Sangeet, as they are known—are still popular amongst Bengali music lovers.
When I was arriving in Phoenix, Arizona last year for my Humphrey Fellowship, I did not imagine that I would get to be a part of one of the most prestigious musical celebrations of the world – the Grammys.
The women in Selina Hossain’s books are strong, because the author herself likes to be inspired by the reality around her.
To me, he was a weaver of stories from lands and cultures, all within Bangladesh, that I would never have heard of otherwise. Growing up abroad amidst mixed cultures and languages, Humayun Ahmed kept Bangladesh within me and in thousands of others like me.
Needless to say, some of the best moments of my life have been spent inside bookstores.
The first of July has always been a busy day. With remembrances, special anniversaries and the beginning of a new financial year, the day also reminds us of how fast time passes, as half of the year flies by at the blink of an eye. Yesterday, however, the day was extra significant, because Dhaka University turned a century old. The only known institution in Bangladesh turning 100 (to my knowledge), and that too an important one both academically and historically, led me to look for books and other published items from the past which would speak at length about the university.
I applied for MasterChef Australia during lockdown last year. My son was on my back until I handed in my application, and the rest is history!
It has been a couple of weeks at least since the Bangla New Year celebrations, which we lovingly refer to as Noboborsho. However, Coke Studio Bangla’s “Tati” is still dominating playlists. ‘Taanti’, or in this case “Tati”, refers to the craftsperson or the creator of fabrics, who works with the material called taant – depicting motifs, colourful borders, and softness to touch. Especially in this heat, a taant saree or a fatua is always a welcome addition to an average Bangladeshi wardrobe, allowing one to breathe easy and at the same time, look trendy.
It has been 81 years today since Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali polymath, poet, composer and the first Bengali Nobel Laureate, breathed his last. In these 81 years, much has changed in the world, including the modernisation of his compositions. Tagore’s songs—Rabindra Sangeet, as they are known—are still popular amongst Bengali music lovers.
When I was arriving in Phoenix, Arizona last year for my Humphrey Fellowship, I did not imagine that I would get to be a part of one of the most prestigious musical celebrations of the world – the Grammys.
The women in Selina Hossain’s books are strong, because the author herself likes to be inspired by the reality around her.
To me, he was a weaver of stories from lands and cultures, all within Bangladesh, that I would never have heard of otherwise. Growing up abroad amidst mixed cultures and languages, Humayun Ahmed kept Bangladesh within me and in thousands of others like me.
Needless to say, some of the best moments of my life have been spent inside bookstores.
The first of July has always been a busy day. With remembrances, special anniversaries and the beginning of a new financial year, the day also reminds us of how fast time passes, as half of the year flies by at the blink of an eye. Yesterday, however, the day was extra significant, because Dhaka University turned a century old. The only known institution in Bangladesh turning 100 (to my knowledge), and that too an important one both academically and historically, led me to look for books and other published items from the past which would speak at length about the university.
I applied for MasterChef Australia during lockdown last year. My son was on my back until I handed in my application, and the rest is history!
Today I would like to talk about a book that I have been waiting to read for a very long time. After years of procrastination, luckily, I finally got hold of a copy and decided to write my thoughts about it—what I expect from it, why I would like to read it and of course, experiencing the sheer eagerness of waiting to turn the pages of a new book; a new adventure.
Last week, we marked the 10th year of my father’s death, on June 15th. Every year since we lost him, I would make it a point to post little stories about him from my childhood, on social media. I call them #memorydoodles. This year, while posting pictures and posts about my father, memories of Abbu – his bookshelf and the many books strewn all over our home – rushed in and I found myself remembering all the moments we shared around books.