Liberation War

Our Victory Day and the questions of equality, justice, and human dignity

Bangladesh's hard-won independence, achieved through the Liberation War in 1971, remains the most defining political event in our history.

Duronto TV marks 7 years of nurturing young minds

Duronto TV, the nation’s premier children’s television network, is entering its eighth year since its inception. 

BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / Otherness and invisible identities

'The Hippo Girl and Other Stories' holds up a mirror to a society that judges and ridicules those that do not adhere to its shortsighted vision of a homogenised culture.

Photography exhibition / ‘Rise of Nation’: Liberation War through the ‘eyes’ of refugees at Raghu Rai’s exhibition

Stranger to none, Indian photojournalist and member of the prestigious Magnum Photos, Raghu Rai has been a notable figure in the documentation of the Liberation War of Bangladesh. On May 5 this year, “Rise of Nation”-- an exhibition featuring both released and unreleased photos of the artiste commenced in the capital’s Zainul Gallery, situated at the Faculty of Fine Arts in the University of Dhaka. 

Rise of a Nation

“We hardly hear people talking about how lucky we are to be an independent nation. How incredible it is that we earned our freedom. Without understanding the trauma and struggles we endured to earn our freedom, the new generation cannot truly appreciate it.”

BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / ‘Father of the Nation Bangabandhu’ marries the art of Japanese storytelling with the rich tapestry of Bangladesh’s history

A review of 'Father of the Nation Bangabandhu' (NRB Scholars, 2024) by ME Chowdhury Shameem and Iwamoto Keita

BOOK REVIEW: NONFICTION / Navigating culture, history, and nostalgia in ‘My Life in Tea’

Review of Anwarul Azim’s book ‘My Life in Tea’ (The University Press Limited, 2023)

THE SHELF / 10 political biographies to read during the general elections

While history has never been a one-man show, viewing it through the eyes of influential leaders can lend us a bigger picture.

Can a free, fair election liberate us from depraved politics?

Can we really believe that this election, regardless of which side wins, offers us any real choice or hope for things to get better?

January 26, 2023
January 26, 2023

Family of feelings: Iffat Nawaz's 'Shurjo's Clan'

Part memoir, part magical realism, this is a story about identity and the idea of home.

January 2, 2023
January 2, 2023

'Diary of Genocide': A brief history of Martyred Intellectuals Day

A short film named “Diary of a Genocide” was released on 14th December 2022, Martyred Intellectuals Day. This 4-minute and 26-second-long film is based on the historic incident of 14th December during the Liberation War in Bangladesh. On this day, Pakistani rulers, with the help of Razakars, Al-Badrs, and Al-Shams created a blueprint to destroy Bangladesh’s (then-East Pakistan’s) intellectual foundation and render the country metaphorically paralyzed. An unexplored horror-map, the treachery of how these intellectuals were abducted is still shrouded, this movie offers a visual picture of this little-known chapter of history.

December 31, 2022
December 31, 2022

Capturing the war stories of medical professionals

Muktijuddher Chikishsha Itihas captures the stories and struggles of medical professionals during the Liberation War.

December 19, 2022
December 19, 2022

The price of freedom: Reminiscing ‘Joyjatra’

"Joyjatra" begins in a remote village. Even though the Liberation War is already underway, there is a sense of denial regarding the looming danger.

December 17, 2022
December 17, 2022

Memorial for fallen Indian soldiers yet to be completed

The government, with an aim to uphold the martyred Indian soldiers' contribution to the cause of Bangladesh's liberation as part of Bangladesh-India allied force, decided to construct a memorial in July 2017.

December 16, 2022
December 16, 2022

5 books to read on Victory Day

The book covers the crucial role of the Bangladeshi diaspora and the international community during the Liberation War in garnering international attention.

December 16, 2022
December 16, 2022

Snapshots from 1971

On this day in 1971, Bangladesh was liberated from the Pakistan occupation forces following a bloody nine-month war. These pictures were taken in December, 1971.

December 16, 2022
December 16, 2022

Victory Day Today: Freedom dawns

It was like a radiant dawn shining after a long and dreadful night. The cool wind of freedom was blowing in mid-December 1971.

November 18, 2022
November 18, 2022

In Iffat Nawaz’s debut novel, 1971 is not an open wound

Shurjo’s Clan uses magic realism to conjure Shurjomukhi’s freedom fighter uncles, who were martyred in Sylhet’s tea gardens during the 1971 Liberation War, and her grandmother, who took her own life shortly after the 1947 Partition. 

November 4, 2022
November 4, 2022

Guerrilla Hafiz and the freedom fighters we have failed

Almost 50 years after the war, freedom fighter Guerrilla Hafiz is yet to receive state recognition