SHIFTING IMAGES
Post-Covid musings: After the deluge
Now that we have stepped into a new year, it may be time to take a brief pause from our hectic schedule.
Begum Sufia Kamal: A moral hero
Today, after a period of hiatus, I have once again taken up my pen (metaphorically) to remember and celebrate a hero—a woman of courage and integrity who changed the world, not with fire and fury but with her soft touch.
Isolation and solitude: Life in the time of corona
It has only been a month of isolation, yet it feels like “One hundred years of solitude”.
SHIFTING IMAGES / When will America be ready?
As my daughter and I drove to the polling booth last week to vote at the Democratic Primaries in the United States, I asked: “So,
The shift of ‘soft power’
Over the past three months, I have lost many nights of sleep, abandoned my favourite political TV programmes, and ignored household chores.
Happy 20/20
I am sitting at my desk, with a hot cup of tea, peering out at the foggy winter morning enveloping the placid Gulshan Lake.
Passage to freedom
Forty-eight years have elapsed since we overthrew the yoke of exploitation and oppression and gained our Independence, through blood, sweat, and tears.
The Age of Alternate Reality
Common sense tells us that life’s experiences should help us acquire a degree of certainty about most issues. However, I seem to be the exception to this conventional wisdom.
History, propaganda or just a movie?
For some time now, I have been resisting the urge to add my voice to the Padmaavat controversy.
Prioritising life's choices
Recently, I made an unusual journey—a journey of love to pick up old relationships and energise them.
The power of empathy
Almost every day we come across positive news about Bangladesh's economic progress, and the individual achievements of creative, entrepreneurial, and innovative Bangladeshis.
Regenerating the Tree of Life
Post-retirement is often advertised on birthday cards and in Art of Living books as the “golden era” of a fulfilling life.
A brave new world
It is quite natural to be reflective during the final stretch of a year, tallying its low and high points.
When ‘them’ becomes ‘us’
As one more year fades away into the realm of the past, it may be useful to reflect on the core aspects of our life.
The new wave of resistance
When Donald Trump won the 2016 elections by brazenly exploiting the racial divide and targeting immigrants, he unleashed the primal roar of disaffected white working-class voters who felt abandoned by the Washington Establishment and the Democratic Party.
Crossing cultures through fashion
The term well-dressed has multi-layered connotations—especially in today's diverse world, where the concept of fashion is constantly changing and there are no fixed standards or norms.
Testing the limits of sexual harassment
Earlier this month, The New York Times published an explosive story on allegations of sexual harassmenagainst Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. The report was based on accounts of multiple women accusing him of all forms of sexual misdemeanour ranging from rape to verbal abuse.
“We the people”
Of late, I have started avoiding social gatherings. The reason? Friends and acquaintances have become somewhat edgy and contentious, so that even civil discussions quickly rise to high decibel levels. Needless to say, the divisive issues mostly relate to world affairs and politics, with conversations rotating in circles!