New Contextualism: An architectural philosophy for deltaic Bangladesh

This endeavour seeks to offer a more nuanced, responsible, and humane approach to shaping our built environments

The untold story of Franklin Book Dhaka: In the shadow of the cold war

The Cold War was a war of armaments and ideologies—but it was also a war of words, fought in classrooms, libraries, and on the printed page.

The politics of recognition / How Bangladesh gained global legitimacy

When Bangladesh defeated Pakistan on 16 December 1971, one could be forgiven for assuming that the international community automatically recognised Bangladesh’s independence.

Steam Power and Scientific Knowledge in Early British Bengal

In Europe, steam power evolved gradually and uncertainly over the course of the eighteenth century, with innovative peaks and long plateaus, from Thomas Savery’s steam pump (1698) via Thomas Newcomen’s reciprocating atmospheric engine (1712) to James Watt and Matthew Boulton’s double-acting rotative steam engine with a separate condenser (1765-90).

11m ago

Rabindranath Tagore and the creation of national identity

Rabindranath Tagore is perhaps the only poet whose songs were chosen as the national anthems of two countries: India and Bangladesh.

11m ago

A life dedicated to cultural activism

“I firmly believe in the profound impact of music, dance, and acting on shaping people’s thoughts and emotions.

11m ago

Thus Spoke Sher-e-Bangla

I deem it a great privilege and pleasure to preside over this Convocation of the University of Dacca; and to join you in offering my blessings and good wishes for the success and prosperity of those graduates who have been admitted to various degrees today.

12m ago

The Baropakhya Christians: A forgotten incidence of peasant repression in colonial Bengal

The Blue or Indigo Mutiny of 1861, was an outpouring of anger by Indian peasants coerced into cultivating the unprofitable indigo crop by British planters.

1y ago

A freedom fighter’s journey to Mujibnagar

The necessity that was felt a few days after the Declaration of Independence of Bangladesh was that of a Government which could take upon itself the burden of directing the liberation struggle.

1y ago

'We must reject religious majoritarianism to ride the wave of Asian resurgence'

The Daily Star (TDS): Your family was closely involved with the Liberation War of Bangladesh. Could you please provide some insights into this historical involvement?

1y ago

Silencing the subaltern voice

Historian Willem van Schendel divides the historiography of the War of 1971 into two broad categories: i) first-generation historiographies and ii) second-generation historiographies.

1y ago

The enduring impact of Abul Mansur Ahmad’s journalism

The year 2023 marked the centennial of Abul Mansur Ahmad’s journalism—a milestone that holds not only significance but also relevance in understanding his enduring impact.

1y ago

In the Name of Lalon

In a jungle by a wide river bank, a small group is sitting amongst the dangling roots of a luscious banyan tree. The single-stringed ektara, four-stringed dotara, wood-bead necklace mala, hand-spunned bright-coloured cotton gamccha and white outfits identify the members as Bauls, the traditional mystic musicians of Bangladesh.

1y ago